1 00:00:15,458 --> 00:00:16,750 Howdy Mars Hill Church. 2 00:00:16,833 --> 00:00:19,833 Pastor Sutton Turner here and I'm in Ethiopia. 3 00:00:19,875 --> 00:00:21,667 And I just want to thank Jesus 4 00:00:21,708 --> 00:00:25,000 for continuing to use Mars Hill Church 5 00:00:25,042 --> 00:00:28,583 to make disciples and plant churches. 6 00:00:29,167 --> 00:00:34,292 Mars Hill Global is the arm of Mars Hill Church 7 00:00:34,333 --> 00:00:35,917 that makes disciples 8 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,833 and plant churches all over the world. 9 00:00:38,917 --> 00:00:40,375 We not only do church planting, 10 00:00:40,458 --> 00:00:43,333 but we help better equip church planters. 11 00:00:43,417 --> 00:00:47,042 Most recently we shipped and now distributed 12 00:00:47,125 --> 00:00:49,500 1,000 bibles into Amharic, 13 00:00:49,542 --> 00:00:52,125 which is the language here in Ethiopia. 14 00:00:52,167 --> 00:00:54,042 And we launched a project 15 00:00:54,125 --> 00:00:59,250 to translate Pastor Mark Driscoll's doctrine book into Spanish. 16 00:00:59,333 --> 00:01:02,583 We have people from over 29 different countries 17 00:01:02,667 --> 00:01:06,167 that are giving on a monthly basis to Mars Hill Global. 18 00:01:06,208 --> 00:01:08,125 So whether you're a member 19 00:01:08,167 --> 00:01:11,083 of one of our Mars Hill church locations 20 00:01:11,167 --> 00:01:12,542 in the United States, 21 00:01:12,625 --> 00:01:18,208 or you're 1 of 100,000 podcasters every single week, 22 00:01:18,292 --> 00:01:19,667 we encourage you to pray 23 00:01:19,750 --> 00:01:23,083 about giving above and beyond your tithe 24 00:01:23,167 --> 00:01:24,625 to Mars Hill Global. 25 00:01:24,667 --> 00:01:28,958 Thank you and let's see more materials translated, 26 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:32,167 more pastors sent out, more churches planted, 27 00:01:32,250 --> 00:01:34,500 and more people saved by Jesus Christ. 28 00:01:51,583 --> 00:01:55,375 Brotherhood, it's a bond as old as time. 29 00:01:55,458 --> 00:01:57,833 It's a love that runs deep. 30 00:01:57,875 --> 00:02:00,333 It's bold. It's strong. 31 00:02:00,417 --> 00:02:02,083 It's enduring. 32 00:02:02,167 --> 00:02:04,667 There's a trust that's built among brothers, 33 00:02:04,750 --> 00:02:07,792 from the trials to the triumphs. 34 00:02:07,833 --> 00:02:11,333 It's a trust that comes from living life together. 35 00:02:11,417 --> 00:02:14,083 No one knows you like your brother. 36 00:02:14,167 --> 00:02:17,667 He knows your strengths; he knows your weaknesses. 37 00:02:17,750 --> 00:02:22,292 A bold brother will lay it all down for his family. 38 00:02:22,333 --> 00:02:25,875 It is difficult to describe that kind of loyalty, 39 00:02:25,958 --> 00:02:29,875 that kind of courage, that kind of strength. 40 00:02:29,958 --> 00:02:31,958 It's the love of a brother. 41 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,667 It's that kind of love that compelled James to become 42 00:02:34,708 --> 00:02:39,208 Jesus' bold little brother. 43 00:02:42,750 --> 00:02:44,625 So what are you looking forward to, 44 00:02:44,667 --> 00:02:48,167 hoping for, dreaming about? 45 00:02:48,208 --> 00:02:51,750 See, the way life works is we have a vision of a future, 46 00:02:51,833 --> 00:02:55,333 a hope, a dream, a longing, 47 00:02:55,417 --> 00:02:57,000 and then we start to plan 48 00:02:57,083 --> 00:03:00,167 so that we can have our life going in that direction. 49 00:03:00,250 --> 00:03:03,417 And for some of you that's, "I want to graduate and finally 50 00:03:03,500 --> 00:03:06,167 start to make some money to pay off those school loans." 51 00:03:06,250 --> 00:03:07,875 For others of you, it's, "I'm single. 52 00:03:07,958 --> 00:03:09,375 I'd like to get married." 53 00:03:09,458 --> 00:03:11,125 For others of you, "We are married, 54 00:03:11,167 --> 00:03:12,833 and we'd like to start having kids." 55 00:03:12,875 --> 00:03:15,333 For some of you, it's time to buy a home. 56 00:03:15,375 --> 00:03:16,917 It's time to pay off debt. 57 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:19,500 It's time to downsize 'cause you're empty nesters 58 00:03:19,542 --> 00:03:21,500 and the kids have already grown. 59 00:03:21,542 --> 00:03:24,000 For some of you, it's moving up in your career. 60 00:03:24,083 --> 00:03:25,417 For others of you, 61 00:03:25,500 --> 00:03:27,083 it's expanding and growing your company. 62 00:03:27,167 --> 00:03:29,833 For some of you, your visions, your hopes, your goals, 63 00:03:29,875 --> 00:03:31,917 your dreams, your longings, they're more relational. 64 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,333 It's reconnecting with people, reconciling with people. 65 00:03:35,375 --> 00:03:39,000 I don't know what your vision is, but here's what happens: 66 00:03:39,083 --> 00:03:41,000 We get a vision, a dream, a longing, 67 00:03:41,083 --> 00:03:43,500 a hope, and then we start to plan for it. 68 00:03:43,583 --> 00:03:46,042 And this is how you can know what's really important 69 00:03:46,125 --> 00:03:48,417 in your life, the things that are most important 70 00:03:48,500 --> 00:03:51,167 are the things that get a plan. 71 00:03:51,208 --> 00:03:52,833 They get a plan. 72 00:03:52,875 --> 00:03:55,958 And if you want to figure out how to put together a plan, 73 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:58,667 you start considering your options for counsel. 74 00:03:58,708 --> 00:04:01,583 "Where am I gonna figure out how to organize my life 75 00:04:01,667 --> 00:04:04,833 "and my energy and my time and my resources and my money 76 00:04:04,875 --> 00:04:08,583 so that I could lean into that future hope that I have?" 77 00:04:08,667 --> 00:04:11,500 And if we pursue the options set before us, 78 00:04:11,583 --> 00:04:15,000 almost all of them are in the realm of business. 79 00:04:15,083 --> 00:04:20,292 All the management, budgeting, scheduling, planning, 80 00:04:20,333 --> 00:04:22,792 coaching is in the realm of business. 81 00:04:22,833 --> 00:04:26,417 And what we do then is we tend to go to those areas and then 82 00:04:26,500 --> 00:04:29,625 fish out some principles to help us get our life together 83 00:04:29,667 --> 00:04:32,125 for the vision that we have for our tomorrow. 84 00:04:32,167 --> 00:04:35,083 And as you do that, you'll find that some of the counsel 85 00:04:35,167 --> 00:04:37,708 you'll get is really ungodly. 86 00:04:37,792 --> 00:04:40,125 The principles are actually completely opposed to 87 00:04:40,167 --> 00:04:43,417 a lot of the big ideas of Scripture. 88 00:04:43,500 --> 00:04:46,333 Some of the counsel you'll get is "Godless," 89 00:04:46,417 --> 00:04:49,833 meaning it doesn't say anything negative about God. 90 00:04:49,917 --> 00:04:52,208 It just doesn't say anything about God; 91 00:04:52,292 --> 00:04:56,208 it's your life, your dreams, your hopes, your goals, 92 00:04:56,292 --> 00:04:59,000 your vision for your destiny. 93 00:04:59,083 --> 00:05:02,625 No reference to God at all. 94 00:05:02,667 --> 00:05:06,625 Ecclesiastes calls this life under the sun as if there's 95 00:05:06,667 --> 00:05:12,000 no one above the sun that we come from and give an answer to. 96 00:05:12,042 --> 00:05:15,125 And some of the counsel you'll get is "God-light." 97 00:05:15,167 --> 00:05:18,625 It's sort of best business practices and tips and tricks 98 00:05:18,667 --> 00:05:22,000 with vague, general, spiritual references like, 99 00:05:22,042 --> 00:05:23,500 "Don't overlook your soul. 100 00:05:23,583 --> 00:05:25,875 Make sure to include your spiritual life." 101 00:05:25,958 --> 00:05:27,833 Maybe a quote from a religious leader, 102 00:05:27,875 --> 00:05:30,167 something of that nature. 103 00:05:30,250 --> 00:05:33,333 And the result is that we can have a vision for our future, 104 00:05:33,375 --> 00:05:38,625 and we can have plans that really don't include the Lord. 105 00:05:38,667 --> 00:05:41,167 And it can happen very, very easily 106 00:05:41,250 --> 00:05:44,917 and very, very subtly, and it's nothing new. 107 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:46,708 It's nothing new. 108 00:05:46,792 --> 00:05:49,542 In fact, Pastor James in James 4:13-17, 109 00:05:49,625 --> 00:05:52,250 this is exactly what he's talking about to his people 110 00:05:52,333 --> 00:05:54,167 a few thousand years ago. 111 00:05:54,208 --> 00:05:56,958 And he's talking about Jesus' life and your life, 112 00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:59,667 and he's gonna talk about how to see your life. 113 00:05:59,708 --> 00:06:02,625 And here's the problem: if you don't know where you come from, 114 00:06:02,667 --> 00:06:05,375 if you don't know why you're here and you don't know 115 00:06:05,458 --> 00:06:07,708 where you're going, you don't know what to do. 116 00:06:07,792 --> 00:06:09,833 And subsequently, you don't know how to plan. 117 00:06:09,875 --> 00:06:14,833 And so he's gonna address this, and he's gonna talk about life. 118 00:06:14,875 --> 00:06:17,125 And the first thing he's gonna teach us is 119 00:06:17,167 --> 00:06:19,417 that life is uncertain. 120 00:06:19,500 --> 00:06:22,125 This is gonna be a super practical sermon. 121 00:06:22,167 --> 00:06:24,667 Here's what Jesus' little brother James has to say: 122 00:06:24,750 --> 00:06:26,625 James 4:13-16, 123 00:06:26,667 --> 00:06:28,917 life is uncertain-- 124 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,833 "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow'"-- 125 00:06:31,875 --> 00:06:33,792 OK, so let me ask you, 126 00:06:33,833 --> 00:06:37,417 what are you planning on doing tomorrow? 127 00:06:37,500 --> 00:06:40,167 What do you have planned for the rest of the day? 128 00:06:40,250 --> 00:06:42,000 What's your next week look like? 129 00:06:42,083 --> 00:06:43,500 What's your next month look like? 130 00:06:43,583 --> 00:06:45,000 What's your next year look like? 131 00:06:45,083 --> 00:06:49,042 How far out do your plans go? 132 00:06:49,125 --> 00:06:52,042 Question, is it a sin to have plans, yes or no? 133 00:06:52,125 --> 00:06:53,458 No. 134 00:06:53,500 --> 00:06:55,167 The Bible talks a lot about planning. 135 00:06:55,208 --> 00:06:58,917 Proverbs talks a ton about how wise it is to seek good counsel 136 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:00,417 and make a wise plan. 137 00:07:00,500 --> 00:07:03,417 Is it a problem to have a schedule and to have things 138 00:07:03,500 --> 00:07:05,417 organized in advance, yes or no? 139 00:07:05,500 --> 00:07:06,833 No. 140 00:07:06,875 --> 00:07:08,208 It's why you're here. 141 00:07:08,292 --> 00:07:09,625 You made it on time. 142 00:07:09,667 --> 00:07:11,000 Congratulations, OK? 143 00:07:11,083 --> 00:07:13,000 You had a plan and you executed it. 144 00:07:13,083 --> 00:07:14,417 Welcome. 145 00:07:14,500 --> 00:07:16,417 It's not a sin to have a vision. 146 00:07:16,500 --> 00:07:18,417 It's not a sin to make a plan. 147 00:07:18,500 --> 00:07:20,167 It's not a sin to be organized. 148 00:07:20,250 --> 00:07:21,583 So what's the problem? 149 00:07:21,667 --> 00:07:23,000 "Come now, you who say, 150 00:07:23,042 --> 00:07:26,000 "'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town 151 00:07:26,042 --> 00:07:28,708 and spend a year there and trade and make a profit.'" 152 00:07:28,792 --> 00:07:30,208 These are their business plans. 153 00:07:30,292 --> 00:07:32,417 "Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring." 154 00:07:32,500 --> 00:07:33,833 There's the issue. 155 00:07:33,875 --> 00:07:36,333 We'll skip one little verse and come back to it 156 00:07:36,375 --> 00:07:37,708 in just a moment. 157 00:07:37,792 --> 00:07:39,708 He continues, "Instead you ought to say, 158 00:07:39,792 --> 00:07:44,792 'If the Lord wills'"-- See what they have said is, 159 00:07:44,833 --> 00:07:46,958 "We will do this." 160 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:49,458 And he's saying, "Well, what about the Lord?" 161 00:07:49,500 --> 00:07:51,667 It'd be better to say, "If the Lord wills, 162 00:07:51,708 --> 00:07:53,833 "we will live and do this or that. 163 00:07:53,917 --> 00:07:55,958 "As it is, you boast in your arrogance. 164 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:57,958 All such boasting is evil." 165 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:01,417 The problem is not when we have a vision, hope, a dream, a plan; 166 00:08:01,500 --> 00:08:05,000 the vision is when it doesn't include the Lord. 167 00:08:05,083 --> 00:08:08,417 The problem is when it's out of arrogance and not humility; 168 00:08:08,500 --> 00:08:11,208 it's seeking our will, not God's will. 169 00:08:11,292 --> 00:08:13,417 That's the problem. 170 00:08:13,500 --> 00:08:16,000 What he's talking about here is hubris, 171 00:08:16,042 --> 00:08:19,333 and this can refer to any and every aspect of life, but here 172 00:08:19,375 --> 00:08:22,208 he's speaking specifically in regards to business because 173 00:08:22,292 --> 00:08:24,917 a lot of hubris tends to be connected to business. 174 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:27,708 A lot of boasting and promising and planning tends to be 175 00:08:27,792 --> 00:08:29,208 in relation to business. 176 00:08:29,292 --> 00:08:30,625 "Our company's gonna do this. 177 00:08:30,667 --> 00:08:32,208 "And our portfolio's gonna do that. 178 00:08:32,292 --> 00:08:34,583 And our stock is gonna perform at this level." 179 00:08:34,667 --> 00:08:36,333 And he says, "Nobody knows the future. 180 00:08:36,375 --> 00:08:40,917 That's sort of a big assumption, and it lacks humility," 181 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:42,417 which means it lacks integrity. 182 00:08:42,500 --> 00:08:45,167 But we can do this in any aspect of our life. 183 00:08:45,250 --> 00:08:46,667 "Next year I'm gonna graduate. 184 00:08:46,708 --> 00:08:48,167 "Next year I'm gonna get married. 185 00:08:48,208 --> 00:08:49,917 "Next year I'm gonna get a job. 186 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:51,667 "Next year we're gonna start our family. 187 00:08:51,708 --> 00:08:53,667 "Next year we're gonna pay off our debt. 188 00:08:53,708 --> 00:08:55,667 Next year, next year, next year, next year." 189 00:08:55,708 --> 00:08:57,042 And he says, "Be careful. 190 00:08:57,125 --> 00:08:58,708 "Be careful. 191 00:08:58,792 --> 00:09:04,500 You need to remember if the Lord wills." 192 00:09:04,583 --> 00:09:09,333 And what he's really attacking here are two awful assumptions 193 00:09:09,375 --> 00:09:11,125 and presumptions. 194 00:09:11,167 --> 00:09:14,167 One is in regards to sovereignty; 195 00:09:14,250 --> 00:09:16,625 the other is in regards to separation. 196 00:09:16,667 --> 00:09:22,083 The problem here is that it is easy for us to behave or believe 197 00:09:22,167 --> 00:09:26,833 as if we were sovereign over our lives and our future. 198 00:09:26,875 --> 00:09:30,583 And if you find someone who's a visionary, leader, organized, 199 00:09:30,667 --> 00:09:33,833 driver--I know a guy like this-- 200 00:09:33,875 --> 00:09:37,500 they can--we can--talk with great certainty. 201 00:09:37,542 --> 00:09:39,667 "We're gonna do this, and we're gonna do that. 202 00:09:39,750 --> 00:09:42,667 And it's gonna be like this, and it's gonna go like that." 203 00:09:42,750 --> 00:09:45,917 And the impression can be given that you're sovereign, 204 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:48,125 that you're in charge, that you're all-knowing, 205 00:09:48,167 --> 00:09:50,917 that you're in God's seat, that you see tomorrow 206 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:54,167 and you know exactly what tomorrow's gonna bring. 207 00:09:54,208 --> 00:09:56,542 But we're not sovereign. 208 00:09:56,625 --> 00:10:01,833 We don't know what the future holds. 209 00:10:01,875 --> 00:10:06,833 This struck me early in ministry. There was a lovely, 210 00:10:06,875 --> 00:10:08,333 young, godly couple. 211 00:10:08,417 --> 00:10:10,542 They met at Mars Hill. They fell in love. 212 00:10:10,625 --> 00:10:11,958 They loved Jesus. 213 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:13,458 They were planning their wedding. 214 00:10:13,500 --> 00:10:16,667 He got cancer and died before they ever made it to the altar. 215 00:10:16,708 --> 00:10:18,833 See, their vision for their future was, get married, 216 00:10:18,917 --> 00:10:23,000 you know, start a family, grow old together. 217 00:10:23,083 --> 00:10:29,958 But that's not what happened 'cause life is uncertain. 218 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:33,708 The issue of sovereignty and the issue of separation, 219 00:10:33,792 --> 00:10:37,333 and what they've done here is they've separated their life. 220 00:10:37,417 --> 00:10:42,042 They've separated their life into that which is secular 221 00:10:42,125 --> 00:10:48,458 like work and that which is spiritual like church. 222 00:10:48,500 --> 00:10:52,958 And what's secular is about facts like business 223 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:56,083 and government and law. 224 00:10:56,167 --> 00:11:02,208 Well, what's secular--that's about faith, experiences, 225 00:11:02,292 --> 00:11:04,750 your personal relationship with God--that doesn't affect 226 00:11:04,833 --> 00:11:07,458 the rest of your life. 227 00:11:07,500 --> 00:11:10,833 That which is secular is a public issue. 228 00:11:10,917 --> 00:11:12,708 This is how you behave in business. 229 00:11:12,792 --> 00:11:14,750 This is how you behave as a citizen. 230 00:11:14,833 --> 00:11:21,458 But the spiritual, the faith--it's private. 231 00:11:21,500 --> 00:11:23,833 It's internal; it's not external. 232 00:11:23,917 --> 00:11:25,917 You don't share it with anyone. 233 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:27,958 It doesn't affect the rest of your life. 234 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:30,958 And what they've done is they've created a firewall in their life 235 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:34,042 between their relationship with God 236 00:11:34,125 --> 00:11:38,000 and all of their other relationships. 237 00:11:38,083 --> 00:11:42,833 Our culture has not moved from this fatal flaw. 238 00:11:42,917 --> 00:11:45,833 Today people will say, "Well, that's religion, 239 00:11:45,917 --> 00:11:47,542 "and it shouldn't affect business, 240 00:11:47,625 --> 00:11:49,208 "and it shouldn't affect politics, 241 00:11:49,292 --> 00:11:50,625 "and it shouldn't affect sexuality, 242 00:11:50,667 --> 00:11:52,125 "and it shouldn't affect morality. 243 00:11:52,167 --> 00:11:55,000 It should not be in the public arena." 244 00:11:55,083 --> 00:11:58,667 And as a Christian we say, "No, this is an old problem. 245 00:11:58,708 --> 00:12:02,000 "Our relationship with Jesus affects everything-- 246 00:12:02,083 --> 00:12:04,500 "how we do business, how we vote, how we behave, 247 00:12:04,583 --> 00:12:07,000 "how we interact with others, how we see the world, 248 00:12:07,083 --> 00:12:09,500 "how we spend our money, how we organize our days, 249 00:12:09,583 --> 00:12:13,917 "what we consider our priorities because we're not sovereign-- 250 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:16,208 Jesus is." 251 00:12:16,292 --> 00:12:21,417 We don't know tomorrow; Jesus does. 252 00:12:21,500 --> 00:12:25,125 And our life is not separated into things that involve Jesus 253 00:12:25,167 --> 00:12:27,417 and things that don't. 254 00:12:27,500 --> 00:12:32,083 As sovereign Lord, he rules over all of history, all the nations, 255 00:12:32,167 --> 00:12:38,208 all the cultures, all the races, and all of our life. 256 00:12:38,292 --> 00:12:42,875 And so what James is saying is, don't live your life 257 00:12:42,958 --> 00:12:46,500 like an atheist while attending church, 258 00:12:46,583 --> 00:12:48,333 and that's what they're doing. 259 00:12:48,375 --> 00:12:53,042 Their language and their goal setting and their planning 260 00:12:53,125 --> 00:12:55,917 is exactly the same as the atheists. 261 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:59,958 God doesn't factor into it at all, just predict the future, 262 00:13:00,083 --> 00:13:03,083 best estimation, organizational alignment, 263 00:13:03,167 --> 00:13:06,500 goal setting, and march forward. 264 00:13:06,583 --> 00:13:09,333 James says, "It would be far better if you realized 265 00:13:09,375 --> 00:13:14,500 these things will only happen if the Lord wills." 266 00:13:14,542 --> 00:13:17,417 So how many of you are drivers-- you're active, you're planners, 267 00:13:17,500 --> 00:13:18,917 you're get-stuff-done people? 268 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:20,875 OK, how many of you are like that? 269 00:13:20,958 --> 00:13:22,875 OK, you're glad to raise your hand. 270 00:13:22,958 --> 00:13:25,708 I gave you something to do. You're welcome, OK. 271 00:13:25,792 --> 00:13:29,208 Is he saying, because you don't know tomorrow, 272 00:13:29,292 --> 00:13:32,708 don't plan anything, don't pursue anything? 273 00:13:32,792 --> 00:13:34,333 Is that what he's saying? 274 00:13:34,375 --> 00:13:35,708 No. 275 00:13:35,792 --> 00:13:37,208 He's saying, pursue it humbly. 276 00:13:37,292 --> 00:13:38,625 Write it in pencil. 277 00:13:38,667 --> 00:13:42,333 Put it not in a closed hand but in an open hand. 278 00:13:42,375 --> 00:13:44,000 Otherwise you'll do this; 279 00:13:44,042 --> 00:13:46,917 you'll make promises that you can't deliver on 280 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:50,417 because the Lord will change the future. 281 00:13:50,500 --> 00:13:55,042 Now, how many of you are more passive, you're easygoing? 282 00:13:55,125 --> 00:13:56,833 You're like, "Hey, the Lord is sovereign, 283 00:13:56,917 --> 00:13:59,833 that's why I don't make a plan, I just trust him," OK? 284 00:13:59,917 --> 00:14:01,667 And if you are married, I apologize-- 285 00:14:01,750 --> 00:14:04,625 and we have Redemption Groups for you guys. 286 00:14:04,667 --> 00:14:07,917 Anyways, so let's say you're the more passive. 287 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:09,417 You're like, "You know what? 288 00:14:09,500 --> 00:14:12,500 "Planning, writing things down, I trust the Lord. 289 00:14:12,583 --> 00:14:15,417 He's got a plan. Glad one of us does." 290 00:14:15,500 --> 00:14:16,917 OK, you're more that way. 291 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:18,917 How many of you are more that way? 292 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:20,667 OK, I'm gonna make you do something: 293 00:14:20,750 --> 00:14:22,083 raise your hand, OK? 294 00:14:22,167 --> 00:14:23,500 It's a start. 295 00:14:23,542 --> 00:14:26,500 It's a humble start but at least we got you doing something. 296 00:14:26,542 --> 00:14:27,875 OK, good job. 297 00:14:27,958 --> 00:14:30,083 OK, for those of you who are like that, 298 00:14:30,167 --> 00:14:31,583 does it say planning is bad? 299 00:14:31,667 --> 00:14:34,333 Some of you will really be like, "Yay, an anti-planning verse, 300 00:14:34,375 --> 00:14:35,833 "finally, a life verse for me. 301 00:14:35,875 --> 00:14:38,333 "I don't need a schedule. I don't need a budget. 302 00:14:38,375 --> 00:14:40,000 I don't need a plan. Yay." 303 00:14:40,083 --> 00:14:41,417 That's not what it says. 304 00:14:41,500 --> 00:14:43,125 That's not what it says. 305 00:14:43,167 --> 00:14:45,333 What does it mean when he says, 306 00:14:45,375 --> 00:14:48,625 "If we consider if the Lord wills, 307 00:14:48,667 --> 00:14:52,333 if the Lord desires, if the Lord decrees"? 308 00:14:52,375 --> 00:14:55,333 Now, truly this can be a Christian cliché, right? 309 00:14:55,417 --> 00:14:58,542 Actually, this can be a Muslim cliché. 310 00:14:58,625 --> 00:15:01,000 Lots of different religions, "Oh, if Allah wills, 311 00:15:01,042 --> 00:15:02,708 if the Lord wills, if God wills," 312 00:15:02,792 --> 00:15:04,417 and it just gets thrown out there. 313 00:15:04,500 --> 00:15:06,917 How many of you, there's somebody in your life that's 314 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:08,917 really religious and they'll just throw this out 315 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:10,333 all the time? 316 00:15:10,375 --> 00:15:11,708 "Oh, Lord willing, Lord willing. 317 00:15:11,792 --> 00:15:13,125 If the Lord wills." 318 00:15:13,167 --> 00:15:14,625 You're at dinner and you're like, 319 00:15:14,667 --> 00:15:16,125 "Hey, could you pass the salad?" 320 00:15:16,167 --> 00:15:18,125 "Well, Lord willing I will pass the salad." 321 00:15:18,167 --> 00:15:21,333 Well, you know, Lord willing, I won't stab you with a salad fork 322 00:15:21,375 --> 00:15:22,708 for saying 'Lord willing.' 323 00:15:22,792 --> 00:15:26,417 You don't need to say it all the time for everything, right? 324 00:15:26,500 --> 00:15:29,125 'Cause it can become a Christian cliché, 325 00:15:29,167 --> 00:15:31,000 and we don't need more Christian clichés. 326 00:15:31,042 --> 00:15:33,917 The goal is not to have this, "the Lord wills," 327 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:37,708 "if the Lord wills," "Lord willing" be a cliché but a conviction, 328 00:15:37,792 --> 00:15:41,500 OK, a conviction. 329 00:15:41,583 --> 00:15:45,208 And to say, "If the Lord wills," it is saying, 330 00:15:45,292 --> 00:15:49,458 "I have sought the Lord and wise counsel, 331 00:15:49,500 --> 00:15:51,250 "and I've prayed and planned. 332 00:15:51,333 --> 00:15:54,250 "And I believe to the best of my understanding 333 00:15:54,333 --> 00:15:56,458 "what I'm planning on doing is right 334 00:15:56,500 --> 00:15:59,125 "in the sight of the Lord and what the Lord 335 00:15:59,167 --> 00:16:04,708 "has for me to do, but I could be wrong. 336 00:16:04,792 --> 00:16:11,417 "Therefore, the Lord is welcome to change my plans 337 00:16:11,500 --> 00:16:15,500 "because his will overrides my will, 338 00:16:15,583 --> 00:16:18,167 "and I trust that his will is glorious for him 339 00:16:18,250 --> 00:16:20,833 and good for me." 340 00:16:20,875 --> 00:16:24,000 What that allows for those of you who are more active 341 00:16:24,083 --> 00:16:26,125 is humility. 342 00:16:26,167 --> 00:16:28,417 For those of you who are passive, 343 00:16:28,500 --> 00:16:31,583 it will allow you to have more confidence. 344 00:16:31,667 --> 00:16:34,167 Some of us get ourselves in trouble saying, 345 00:16:34,250 --> 00:16:36,500 "The Lord said let's do it," 346 00:16:36,542 --> 00:16:38,833 and then he changes the circumstances. 347 00:16:38,875 --> 00:16:41,125 And you're stuck in a quandary. 348 00:16:41,167 --> 00:16:44,167 It's like, "Well, do I lose credibility by saying 349 00:16:44,250 --> 00:16:46,250 "that we're going to change the plan, 350 00:16:46,333 --> 00:16:50,750 or do I march forward without the Lord?" 351 00:16:50,833 --> 00:16:53,250 The way out of that is humility and to say, 352 00:16:53,333 --> 00:16:54,667 "I believe this is best, 353 00:16:54,708 --> 00:16:57,333 "and the Lord can change his plan for us. 354 00:16:57,417 --> 00:16:59,542 "But as of now, this is what we're doing 355 00:16:59,625 --> 00:17:01,125 and where we're going." 356 00:17:01,167 --> 00:17:03,125 For those of you who are more passive, 357 00:17:03,167 --> 00:17:04,500 you may lack confidence. 358 00:17:04,583 --> 00:17:06,708 You may say, "I don't want to, you know, 359 00:17:06,792 --> 00:17:09,417 "say the Lord told me, and I need to do this 360 00:17:09,500 --> 00:17:10,833 "because I could be wrong. 361 00:17:10,875 --> 00:17:12,500 "And I know that I make mistakes, 362 00:17:12,583 --> 00:17:14,500 and sometimes I'm out of the Lord's will." 363 00:17:14,583 --> 00:17:17,208 And you could say, "The Lord wills me to do this, 364 00:17:17,292 --> 00:17:20,125 "and the Lord wills to change that, 365 00:17:20,167 --> 00:17:22,833 perhaps, and when he does, I will yield to that." 366 00:17:22,875 --> 00:17:26,000 What that allows you to have is more confidence 367 00:17:26,083 --> 00:17:28,708 because you don't need to say, "I know exactly." 368 00:17:28,792 --> 00:17:30,125 You say, "You know what? 369 00:17:30,167 --> 00:17:32,333 "I think this is right and if it's not, 370 00:17:32,375 --> 00:17:36,208 I'm inviting the Lord to redirect my steps." 371 00:17:36,292 --> 00:17:41,083 More humility for the confident, more confidence for the humble 372 00:17:41,167 --> 00:17:43,875 to proceed together into the will of God. 373 00:17:43,958 --> 00:17:48,708 If the Lord wills, if the Lord wills. 374 00:17:48,792 --> 00:17:51,417 His first principle is that life is uncertain. 375 00:17:51,500 --> 00:17:55,167 His second is that life is brief. 376 00:17:55,208 --> 00:18:01,083 We'll come back to this verse, James 4:14, the second half. 377 00:18:01,167 --> 00:18:04,083 Here's the question--James is filled with 378 00:18:04,167 --> 00:18:05,625 a lot of great questions. 379 00:18:05,667 --> 00:18:10,292 Here's another one: What is your life? 380 00:18:10,333 --> 00:18:14,583 What a question. 381 00:18:14,667 --> 00:18:17,333 Where do you come from? 382 00:18:17,375 --> 00:18:19,208 Do you know? 383 00:18:19,292 --> 00:18:21,333 Where are you going? 384 00:18:21,375 --> 00:18:23,708 Do you know? 385 00:18:23,792 --> 00:18:27,333 Why are you here on earth? 386 00:18:27,375 --> 00:18:30,083 Do you know? 387 00:18:30,167 --> 00:18:34,000 What is your life? 388 00:18:34,083 --> 00:18:37,667 What are you supposed to do with it? 389 00:18:37,750 --> 00:18:41,000 Massive question. 390 00:18:41,042 --> 00:18:46,542 And this is almost the entirety of philosophy, 391 00:18:46,625 --> 00:18:51,833 orbits around various answers to this question. 392 00:18:51,917 --> 00:18:55,333 Sir Arnold Toynbee is a great historian 393 00:18:55,375 --> 00:18:57,333 and makes this amazing observation 394 00:18:57,417 --> 00:19:00,833 that the Western world in which we live is, perhaps, 395 00:19:00,875 --> 00:19:04,000 the first civilization that doesn't tell its citizens 396 00:19:04,042 --> 00:19:06,917 why they exist. 397 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:09,625 We don't know. 398 00:19:09,667 --> 00:19:12,917 We don't have an answer to this question. 399 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:15,917 How many of you didn't get this in school? 400 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:18,708 What Is Your Life 101. 401 00:19:18,792 --> 00:19:20,500 What Is Your Life 201. 402 00:19:20,542 --> 00:19:22,208 What Is Your Life 301. 403 00:19:22,292 --> 00:19:24,500 Nobody knows. 404 00:19:24,542 --> 00:19:26,417 We get confused. 405 00:19:26,500 --> 00:19:28,125 We get disorganized. We get depressed. 406 00:19:28,167 --> 00:19:29,917 We get overwhelmed. We get exhausted. 407 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:31,333 We get discouraged. 408 00:19:31,375 --> 00:19:33,500 We get suicidal because we don't know the answer 409 00:19:33,583 --> 00:19:34,917 to this question. 410 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:36,417 And once we answer this question, 411 00:19:36,500 --> 00:19:40,000 that really helps answer all the other questions. 412 00:19:40,083 --> 00:19:43,125 All the little questions, they orbit around the big question, 413 00:19:43,167 --> 00:19:45,292 What is your life? 414 00:19:45,333 --> 00:19:48,750 What is your life? 415 00:19:48,833 --> 00:19:53,458 "For you are a"-- what's the word? 416 00:19:53,500 --> 00:20:00,333 A mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 417 00:20:00,417 --> 00:20:04,708 Now, let me do a little bit of Bible work for you. 418 00:20:04,792 --> 00:20:08,333 That question, what is your life?-- 419 00:20:08,417 --> 00:20:13,167 it really is the entirety of the book of Ecclesiastes. 420 00:20:13,208 --> 00:20:15,750 The Bible has a genre of literature called 421 00:20:15,833 --> 00:20:19,042 wisdom literature, and wisdom literature is really about 422 00:20:19,125 --> 00:20:24,250 the very intense, personal, practical stuff of life. 423 00:20:24,333 --> 00:20:26,708 Like, what do you do with your marriage relationships, 424 00:20:26,792 --> 00:20:29,958 your dating relationships, your finances, your work, your kids, 425 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:34,333 your sexuality, your diet, your enemies? 426 00:20:34,375 --> 00:20:36,958 Like what do you do with the stuff in your life 427 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:38,958 really practical? 428 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:41,333 In the Old Testament, this would be Ecclesiastes, 429 00:20:41,417 --> 00:20:45,333 Song of Solomon, Job, Proverbs, wisdom literature. 430 00:20:45,417 --> 00:20:48,250 There's far less wisdom literature in the New Testament. 431 00:20:48,333 --> 00:20:51,958 James is wisdom literature-- reads a lot like Proverbs 432 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:53,667 or Ecclesiastes. 433 00:20:53,750 --> 00:20:55,667 And the question that's posed in Ecclesiastes-- 434 00:20:55,750 --> 00:20:57,667 one of my favorite books of the Bible. 435 00:20:57,750 --> 00:20:59,542 I've taught it twice at Mars Hill. 436 00:20:59,625 --> 00:21:03,250 The question that Ecclesiastes considers 437 00:21:03,333 --> 00:21:08,833 is this question: What is your life? 438 00:21:08,875 --> 00:21:12,542 And here James is picking up a theme from Ecclesiastes, 439 00:21:12,625 --> 00:21:15,958 a very important theme. 440 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:18,042 And James is here echoing. 441 00:21:18,125 --> 00:21:19,833 He's a Bible teacher. 442 00:21:19,917 --> 00:21:24,167 He's a Bible student. 443 00:21:24,208 --> 00:21:28,333 In the book of Ecclesiastes, it starts with this word hebel. 444 00:21:28,375 --> 00:21:30,167 It's a Hebrew word. 445 00:21:30,208 --> 00:21:32,667 It appears about 38 times in the book of Ecclesiastes. 446 00:21:32,708 --> 00:21:35,458 Ecclesiastes is about 12 chapters long. 447 00:21:35,500 --> 00:21:39,333 Ecclesiastes is a book written by Solomon who was 448 00:21:39,417 --> 00:21:44,333 the wisest man in the world, other than Jesus, 449 00:21:44,417 --> 00:21:46,208 the richest man who's ever lived, 450 00:21:46,292 --> 00:21:49,958 the most successful man who's ever lived. 451 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:54,042 And he lived his life filled with political conquest 452 00:21:54,125 --> 00:21:58,667 and financial excess and, like, a thousand wives 453 00:21:58,708 --> 00:22:01,333 and girlfriends and harems 454 00:22:01,375 --> 00:22:07,000 and literally ships of gold and stables filled with horses. 455 00:22:07,083 --> 00:22:09,500 It was unbelievable--people would travel 456 00:22:09,583 --> 00:22:11,917 from around the world just for a few minutes 457 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:14,125 to ask him a question. 458 00:22:14,167 --> 00:22:18,375 And at the end of his life as an older man, 459 00:22:18,458 --> 00:22:21,500 he sits down to write Ecclesiastes, 460 00:22:21,583 --> 00:22:24,417 and it's a book of remorse. 461 00:22:24,500 --> 00:22:26,208 It's a book of regret. 462 00:22:26,292 --> 00:22:29,167 It's a book of repentance. 463 00:22:29,250 --> 00:22:33,083 And he's writing to those who are young, 464 00:22:33,167 --> 00:22:37,167 and he's trying to discourage them from following 465 00:22:37,250 --> 00:22:39,917 the life course that he did. 466 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:43,292 And he starts his book, Ecclesiastes, 467 00:22:43,333 --> 00:22:46,000 with the word "hebel." 468 00:22:46,083 --> 00:22:49,667 "Hebel, hebel," says the teacher, "everything is hebel." 469 00:22:49,708 --> 00:22:52,917 And as I told you, 38 times it shows up in 12 chapters. 470 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:55,333 Life is hebel. 471 00:22:55,375 --> 00:22:57,625 You say, "Well, what is that?" 472 00:22:57,667 --> 00:23:02,333 He boils life down to one word. 473 00:23:02,375 --> 00:23:06,208 Some of your translations will say "meaningless." 474 00:23:06,292 --> 00:23:08,708 "Meaningless, meaningless, says the teacher, 475 00:23:08,792 --> 00:23:12,500 everything is meaningless." 476 00:23:12,583 --> 00:23:17,208 First existentialist nihilist, I guess. 477 00:23:17,292 --> 00:23:20,167 Sounds like he lived in Seattle during the '90s 478 00:23:20,250 --> 00:23:24,333 and played in a band. 479 00:23:24,375 --> 00:23:28,000 Life doesn't have to be meaningless, but it can. 480 00:23:28,083 --> 00:23:30,708 Some of your translations will say, "vanity." 481 00:23:30,792 --> 00:23:32,917 "Vanity, vanity, life is vanity." 482 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:38,083 Life doesn't have to be lived in vain, but it can be. 483 00:23:38,167 --> 00:23:42,917 You can have a wasted life instead of an invested life. 484 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:48,750 Others prefer this word, and I believe James gives us 485 00:23:48,833 --> 00:23:53,000 a great clue for what life ultimately is. 486 00:23:53,083 --> 00:23:55,667 That word "hebel"--it has a lot of meanings 487 00:23:55,708 --> 00:23:58,917 because life is complex. 488 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:01,833 But ultimately, I believe James here gets 489 00:24:01,875 --> 00:24:04,708 the best interpretation of that word "hebel." 490 00:24:04,792 --> 00:24:07,125 What is life? 491 00:24:07,167 --> 00:24:12,875 Life is a mist that appears for a little time 492 00:24:12,958 --> 00:24:14,375 and then vanishes. 493 00:24:14,458 --> 00:24:17,125 How many of you, as you get older, 494 00:24:17,167 --> 00:24:21,708 it feels like time is moving faster? 495 00:24:21,792 --> 00:24:23,708 It's true, right? 496 00:24:23,792 --> 00:24:26,708 Remember when you were a little kid you'd have that crazy aunt 497 00:24:26,792 --> 00:24:29,208 she'd come up and say, "Oh, you're getting so big. 498 00:24:29,292 --> 00:24:31,000 It moves so fast." 499 00:24:31,083 --> 00:24:33,000 You're like, "Why does she say that?" 500 00:24:33,083 --> 00:24:35,667 And now you go up to little kids you're like, 501 00:24:35,750 --> 00:24:38,167 "Oh, you're getting so big, and time moves so fast." 502 00:24:38,250 --> 00:24:39,583 You're like, "Oh, my gosh. 503 00:24:39,667 --> 00:24:44,208 I'm the crazy uncle, and I'm echoing my crazy aunt." 504 00:24:44,292 --> 00:24:45,750 It does, right? 505 00:24:45,833 --> 00:24:48,250 Because when you're little, you want time to go faster. 506 00:24:48,333 --> 00:24:50,250 "I want to be done with this grade. 507 00:24:50,333 --> 00:24:51,667 "I want to be graduated. 508 00:24:51,708 --> 00:24:53,167 "I want to get my license. 509 00:24:53,208 --> 00:24:54,667 "I want to start my career. 510 00:24:54,708 --> 00:24:56,667 I want to get married. I want to--" 511 00:24:56,708 --> 00:24:58,167 And then as you get older, 512 00:24:58,208 --> 00:25:00,333 you're looking for the break in life. 513 00:25:00,375 --> 00:25:02,000 Slow it down. 514 00:25:02,042 --> 00:25:03,500 Slow it down. 515 00:25:03,542 --> 00:25:07,000 It's going too fast because life is a mist. 516 00:25:07,042 --> 00:25:11,167 I'll give you an illustration of this: 517 00:25:11,250 --> 00:25:14,417 For us, it's the beginning of baseball season. 518 00:25:14,500 --> 00:25:16,125 We figured it out. 519 00:25:16,167 --> 00:25:19,625 We've got about a hundred games for our three sons, 520 00:25:19,667 --> 00:25:23,625 plus practices and our daughter runs track. 521 00:25:23,667 --> 00:25:26,125 So about this time of year, Grace and I start 522 00:25:26,167 --> 00:25:29,875 a side business that consists of air traffic controller 523 00:25:29,958 --> 00:25:32,125 and cab company, OK? 524 00:25:32,167 --> 00:25:35,583 Just trying to get everyone organized. 525 00:25:35,667 --> 00:25:39,667 And so yesterday, 2 of the boys, Calvin, who's 12 526 00:25:39,750 --> 00:25:41,833 and Gideon who's 8, they had their jamborees. 527 00:25:41,875 --> 00:25:44,500 Gideon had two games, Calvin had two games, 528 00:25:44,583 --> 00:25:46,333 and it was freezing out. 529 00:25:46,417 --> 00:25:49,000 I mean only in Seattle do you have your first games 530 00:25:49,083 --> 00:25:51,167 in 36-degree weather. 531 00:25:51,208 --> 00:25:52,833 Most people call that spring skiing. 532 00:25:52,875 --> 00:25:54,833 We call it "baseball season." 533 00:25:54,875 --> 00:25:59,667 So I'm sitting at Gideon's game early in the morning, 534 00:25:59,708 --> 00:26:06,208 and it's so cold out that I take a deep breath 535 00:26:06,292 --> 00:26:07,708 and I breathe out. 536 00:26:07,792 --> 00:26:09,917 What do I see? 537 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:15,875 I see the mist of my breath but just for a fleeting instance, 538 00:26:15,958 --> 00:26:20,208 and then it's gone forever. 539 00:26:20,292 --> 00:26:24,792 Your life is like that. 540 00:26:24,833 --> 00:26:29,333 Later in the day, and we finished all of our games 541 00:26:29,375 --> 00:26:33,208 and we came home and we're freezing--we started a fire. 542 00:26:33,292 --> 00:26:35,375 That's what Gideon and I like to do. 543 00:26:35,458 --> 00:26:38,125 It's our little routine on a cold day. 544 00:26:38,167 --> 00:26:39,625 We chop wood. 545 00:26:39,667 --> 00:26:41,417 We stack wood. 546 00:26:41,500 --> 00:26:46,542 We put the paper underneath, Giddy loves to start the fire. 547 00:26:46,625 --> 00:26:50,542 And then he'll blow on it. 548 00:26:50,625 --> 00:26:55,125 What usually emerges is a puff of smoke. 549 00:26:55,167 --> 00:27:01,333 And there it is, and then it's gone forever. 550 00:27:01,375 --> 00:27:04,125 Your life is like that. 551 00:27:04,167 --> 00:27:08,667 It's like that. 552 00:27:08,750 --> 00:27:13,125 That's what he's saying. 553 00:27:13,167 --> 00:27:18,000 That's what Ecclesiastes is declaring. 554 00:27:18,083 --> 00:27:23,167 That's what the Holy Spirit wants us to be remembering, 555 00:27:23,250 --> 00:27:26,375 that our life is like that. 556 00:27:26,458 --> 00:27:29,000 When you're young, you don't really think about this. 557 00:27:29,083 --> 00:27:34,000 I can still remember as a kid, I didn't think about death ever. 558 00:27:34,042 --> 00:27:37,417 And then I was 10 years of age and my parents showed up 559 00:27:37,500 --> 00:27:40,083 at my Boy Scout troop. 560 00:27:40,167 --> 00:27:44,333 We were at a kid's house doing our Boy Scout whatever stuff, 561 00:27:44,375 --> 00:27:48,500 and my mom and dad showed up early, which was very unusual. 562 00:27:48,583 --> 00:27:52,333 And as they got out of the car, I could see my mom sobbing 563 00:27:52,375 --> 00:27:56,333 and weeping and devastated, and my dad comforting her 564 00:27:56,417 --> 00:27:58,958 and walking with her toward me. 565 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:02,667 And I could just tell, something's wrong. 566 00:28:02,750 --> 00:28:08,000 And my mom said, "Grandpa George just died." 567 00:28:08,042 --> 00:28:10,708 I love my grandpa with all my heart. 568 00:28:10,792 --> 00:28:13,375 I would go to his house, we would eat caramel apples, 569 00:28:13,458 --> 00:28:17,708 stay up late, and watch wrestling, right? 570 00:28:17,792 --> 00:28:20,208 And then we'd work in his garage. 571 00:28:20,292 --> 00:28:22,917 He'd teach me how to use a bandsaw and a router 572 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:24,875 and a tablesaw, and we'd build stuff. 573 00:28:24,958 --> 00:28:27,708 He taught me how to ride a bike. 574 00:28:27,792 --> 00:28:29,375 I love my Grandpa George. 575 00:28:29,458 --> 00:28:30,792 I was 10. 576 00:28:30,833 --> 00:28:36,333 I adored him, and he was gone. 577 00:28:36,375 --> 00:28:40,292 He was gone forever. 578 00:28:40,333 --> 00:28:46,167 I remember the first time I knew someone who was young that died-- 579 00:28:46,208 --> 00:28:48,833 a friend of mine, his sister died. 580 00:28:48,917 --> 00:28:51,000 She was like 8 or 10 or something--little, 581 00:28:51,083 --> 00:28:53,917 young, a child. 582 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:57,250 And I remember she died, and I went to the funeral. 583 00:28:57,333 --> 00:28:59,917 And all I remember as a kid sitting in the funeral-- 584 00:29:00,042 --> 00:29:02,583 and I was still in elementary school at the time-- 585 00:29:02,667 --> 00:29:08,625 was just thinking you don't have to be old to die. 586 00:29:08,667 --> 00:29:10,625 Young people can die, too. 587 00:29:10,667 --> 00:29:14,625 That had never really entered my mind. 588 00:29:14,667 --> 00:29:17,375 Recently Gideon has been asking me questions about heaven. 589 00:29:17,458 --> 00:29:19,875 I don't know what's going on in his little mind, 590 00:29:19,958 --> 00:29:22,417 but he's very intrigued by the kingdom of God 591 00:29:22,500 --> 00:29:24,125 and eternal life. 592 00:29:24,167 --> 00:29:26,333 We were driving to baseball practice the other day, 593 00:29:26,375 --> 00:29:28,000 and he's in the backseat. 594 00:29:28,042 --> 00:29:29,500 "Hey, dad." 595 00:29:29,542 --> 00:29:31,083 "Yeah, buddy." 596 00:29:31,167 --> 00:29:33,667 "How old will we be in heaven?" 597 00:29:33,750 --> 00:29:35,667 "I don't know, man, good question." 598 00:29:35,708 --> 00:29:38,333 I said, "I hope we're young so we can do stuff." 599 00:29:38,417 --> 00:29:43,500 "Me too, that's for sure." 600 00:29:43,583 --> 00:29:47,542 He asked me, he said, "Do you think your Grandpa George 601 00:29:47,625 --> 00:29:51,667 and my Grandpa Gibb are hanging out right now with Jesus?" 602 00:29:51,708 --> 00:29:58,417 "I don't know, Giddy, maybe so." 603 00:29:58,500 --> 00:30:01,542 It's starting to dawn on Gideon even at the age of 8 604 00:30:01,625 --> 00:30:05,750 that life is a mist that appears for a little time 605 00:30:05,833 --> 00:30:09,458 and then vanishes. 606 00:30:09,500 --> 00:30:13,708 You can take this one of two ways, 607 00:30:13,792 --> 00:30:19,250 as a great discouragement 608 00:30:19,333 --> 00:30:22,500 or a great encouragement 609 00:30:22,583 --> 00:30:27,500 to not waste any time. 610 00:30:27,583 --> 00:30:30,333 Everyone's going to die 611 00:30:30,417 --> 00:30:34,417 and most die with a lot of regrets. 612 00:30:34,500 --> 00:30:39,750 If you've had the honor of being with someone in their dying, 613 00:30:39,833 --> 00:30:43,333 life gets very clear. 614 00:30:43,417 --> 00:30:46,417 Here's what people don't say: "Bring me all my trophies. 615 00:30:46,500 --> 00:30:48,833 "I want to see them one last time. 616 00:30:48,875 --> 00:30:51,708 "Bring me my grade point average. 617 00:30:51,792 --> 00:30:54,500 "Bring me my résumé. 618 00:30:54,583 --> 00:30:56,833 "Bring me my performance review. 619 00:30:56,917 --> 00:30:59,333 "Bring me the org chart one more time. 620 00:30:59,417 --> 00:31:04,167 I just want to see where I fall in the pecking order." 621 00:31:07,542 --> 00:31:10,833 Life gets very clear 622 00:31:10,875 --> 00:31:16,500 when time is very short. 623 00:31:16,583 --> 00:31:19,625 It's ultimately people and memories that matter, 624 00:31:19,667 --> 00:31:25,000 and we take those with us to the kingdom of God. 625 00:31:25,083 --> 00:31:27,833 There's a story that illustrates this. 626 00:31:27,875 --> 00:31:29,833 A friend sent it to me. 627 00:31:29,875 --> 00:31:33,625 I found it tremendously clarifying, 628 00:31:33,667 --> 00:31:35,542 so I want to share it with you. 629 00:31:35,625 --> 00:31:38,333 I'm gonna introduce you to two people in this story, 630 00:31:38,375 --> 00:31:40,333 Ed and Floreen. 631 00:31:40,417 --> 00:31:44,208 If the guys would be so kind, we'll show a photo of 632 00:31:44,292 --> 00:31:48,125 Ed and Floreen. 633 00:31:48,167 --> 00:31:50,750 Here's their story. 634 00:31:50,833 --> 00:31:56,458 If you're married, this is where you hold hands. 635 00:31:56,500 --> 00:31:59,500 If you don't want to hold hands with the person you're 636 00:31:59,583 --> 00:32:05,708 married to, this is where you really need to hold hands. 637 00:32:05,792 --> 00:32:10,208 If you're here with your child, you can hold their hand, too. 638 00:32:10,292 --> 00:32:12,833 If you're engaged to be married, 639 00:32:12,875 --> 00:32:17,000 you can hold hands. 640 00:32:17,042 --> 00:32:20,667 Floreen and Ed's love story began more than 60 years ago 641 00:32:20,750 --> 00:32:22,667 when the two met at a party. 642 00:32:22,750 --> 00:32:25,417 When the young engineer went to Floreen's parents to ask for 643 00:32:25,500 --> 00:32:29,292 her hand in marriage, they refused because the young woman 644 00:32:29,333 --> 00:32:32,625 was recovering at that time from a horrific car accident which 645 00:32:32,667 --> 00:32:35,667 claimed the life of her first husband whom she had married 646 00:32:35,708 --> 00:32:37,542 only 3 months earlier. 647 00:32:37,625 --> 00:32:40,458 OK, here's Floreen's story: She's young. 648 00:32:40,500 --> 00:32:43,042 She's in love. She gets married. 649 00:32:43,125 --> 00:32:47,458 Her and her husband have plans, and in a car crash, 650 00:32:47,500 --> 00:32:52,167 he dies 3 months later. 651 00:32:52,208 --> 00:32:57,125 Breathes his last breath, and life is a breath 652 00:32:57,167 --> 00:33:01,417 that's here today and gone tomorrow. 653 00:33:01,500 --> 00:33:05,083 Somehow this shaped Floreen--I don't want to read too much 654 00:33:05,167 --> 00:33:12,083 into the story, but she planned her future to enjoy it. 655 00:33:12,167 --> 00:33:15,333 The story continues. 656 00:33:15,375 --> 00:33:18,625 But Ed was determined to be with Floreen 657 00:33:18,667 --> 00:33:21,125 and would not take no for an answer declaring to 658 00:33:21,167 --> 00:33:23,500 his future in-laws that he was willing to carry 659 00:33:23,542 --> 00:33:25,417 his beloved in his arms every day. 660 00:33:25,500 --> 00:33:28,375 The couple said, "I do" May 12, 1953, 661 00:33:28,458 --> 00:33:30,875 and settled in Batavia, New York, 662 00:33:30,958 --> 00:33:34,125 in a home designed by Mr. Hale. 663 00:33:34,167 --> 00:33:37,208 The Hales have two surviving children, Renee and Ricky. 664 00:33:37,292 --> 00:33:41,208 A third baby died in infancy. 665 00:33:41,292 --> 00:33:48,208 Life is a mist here today, gone tomorrow. 666 00:33:48,292 --> 00:33:50,958 Ed's greatest joy in life was pampering his wife 667 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:54,333 and spoiling her with little tokens of affection. 668 00:33:54,417 --> 00:33:57,167 At a time when she worked as a telephone operator at 669 00:33:57,208 --> 00:34:01,208 a local hospital, Ed would bring Floreen her dinner and dessert. 670 00:34:01,292 --> 00:34:03,708 Ed did most of the grocery shopping for the house, 671 00:34:03,792 --> 00:34:05,708 and every time he went to the store, 672 00:34:05,792 --> 00:34:08,208 he picked up some sweet treat or flowers 673 00:34:08,292 --> 00:34:10,167 for Floreen. 674 00:34:10,250 --> 00:34:12,917 In the winter, Ed would clear his wife's car of snow 675 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:16,833 and warm it up for her to drive home from work earning him 676 00:34:16,875 --> 00:34:20,833 the nickname Saint Edward from their relatives. 677 00:34:20,875 --> 00:34:24,708 When Floreen's family and friends would tease her about 678 00:34:24,792 --> 00:34:28,125 her adoring husband asking her what she would do without him, 679 00:34:28,167 --> 00:34:33,500 Floreen would reply that he was not allowed to go before her. 680 00:34:33,542 --> 00:34:36,458 After an active, full life, Mr. Hale was diagnosed with 681 00:34:36,500 --> 00:34:40,750 kidney disease a little over 5 years ago requiring dialysis, 682 00:34:40,833 --> 00:34:42,542 regular treatments. 683 00:34:42,625 --> 00:34:46,167 He also suffered severe heart attacks and had diabetes, 684 00:34:46,208 --> 00:34:48,917 but that didn't stop him from taking his wife out 685 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:52,333 almost every day. 686 00:34:52,417 --> 00:34:55,208 Mrs. Hale, known for her irrepressible sense of humor, 687 00:34:55,292 --> 00:34:58,250 chattiness, and a pension for colorful adornments, 688 00:34:58,333 --> 00:35:01,625 also had a laundry list of ailments, from asthma 689 00:35:01,667 --> 00:35:03,375 to heart disease. 690 00:35:03,458 --> 00:35:06,417 Still she would dress up to go to the doctor, with Ed 691 00:35:06,500 --> 00:35:09,083 always by her side. 692 00:35:09,167 --> 00:35:12,000 Floreen's precarious health took a turn for the worst this 693 00:35:12,042 --> 00:35:15,417 month when her lungs filled with fluid, landing her in a hospital 694 00:35:15,500 --> 00:35:17,417 in grave condition. 695 00:35:17,500 --> 00:35:20,625 At the same time, her husband was in Unity Hospital in Rochester 696 00:35:20,667 --> 00:35:22,667 with kidney failure. 697 00:35:22,750 --> 00:35:24,875 We were handed two death sentences. 698 00:35:24,958 --> 00:35:29,125 Floreen's sister, Marlene DeCarlo told this blog. 699 00:35:29,167 --> 00:35:32,500 The 83-year-old man, Ed, was semi-conscious 700 00:35:32,583 --> 00:35:36,208 and appeared to be at death's door, but 2 days after his 701 00:35:36,292 --> 00:35:41,958 wife's hospitalization, Ed woke up and told his daughter, 702 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:46,667 "I need to see Floreen." 703 00:35:50,625 --> 00:35:55,667 See, Ed had a plan to take care of his wife 704 00:35:55,708 --> 00:35:58,208 for the duration of her life. 705 00:35:58,292 --> 00:36:01,500 That was his plan. 706 00:36:01,583 --> 00:36:06,333 What followed next was a series of negotiations between 707 00:36:06,375 --> 00:36:10,000 the hospitals in Rochester and Batavia helped along by 708 00:36:10,083 --> 00:36:13,208 a social worker whose job it was to convince United 709 00:36:13,292 --> 00:36:14,667 to admit Mr. Hale. 710 00:36:14,750 --> 00:36:17,708 The Batavia Hospital agreed to accept the dying patient but 711 00:36:17,792 --> 00:36:23,625 only if he was strong enough to make the 35-mile trip. 712 00:36:23,667 --> 00:36:26,292 She's in the hospital dying. 713 00:36:26,333 --> 00:36:27,917 He's in the hospital dying. 714 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:30,417 They've been together for 60 years, 715 00:36:30,500 --> 00:36:34,000 and now they're separated by 35 miles. 716 00:36:34,042 --> 00:36:40,000 Ed wakes up and is determined. His plan is to get to Floreen. 717 00:36:43,833 --> 00:36:47,417 As if by miracle, Ed rallied sufficiently for 718 00:36:47,500 --> 00:36:50,167 the short ambulance ride arriving at United 719 00:36:50,208 --> 00:36:52,708 in the afternoon of February 6. 720 00:36:52,792 --> 00:36:59,333 His sole request was to see Floreen. 721 00:36:59,375 --> 00:37:02,833 The hospital prepared a room for the couple where the two beds 722 00:37:02,875 --> 00:37:05,500 were pushed together so that they could lie next to 723 00:37:05,583 --> 00:37:10,167 one another and hold hands as Floreen faded away. 724 00:37:10,250 --> 00:37:15,792 You notice she's still got a bow in her hair? 725 00:37:15,833 --> 00:37:18,875 She had a plan, too. 726 00:37:26,083 --> 00:37:28,417 The 82-year-old woman was pronounced dead 727 00:37:28,500 --> 00:37:30,500 the morning after Ed's arrival. 728 00:37:30,583 --> 00:37:32,417 Ed made it there in time. 729 00:37:32,500 --> 00:37:35,333 He got to walk his wife home. 730 00:37:35,375 --> 00:37:37,333 Surrounded by dozens of friends and family, 731 00:37:37,417 --> 00:37:43,667 her husband followed her a day later. 732 00:37:46,667 --> 00:37:52,750 The most important day of your life is the last day. 733 00:37:52,833 --> 00:37:59,708 There are enumerable things that could distract you 734 00:37:59,792 --> 00:38:03,792 from living for that last day. 735 00:38:03,833 --> 00:38:07,208 Do you know Jesus? 736 00:38:07,292 --> 00:38:09,625 Have you confessed your sin to Jesus? 737 00:38:09,667 --> 00:38:13,208 Have you received forgiveness and eternal life from Jesus? 738 00:38:13,292 --> 00:38:16,500 Are you ready to stand before Jesus? 739 00:38:16,583 --> 00:38:19,917 That's the most important thing. 740 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:26,833 You could go at any time, and you'll all go at some time. 741 00:38:26,875 --> 00:38:30,375 What about the people and things in your life? 742 00:38:30,458 --> 00:38:36,833 Are you allowing other people and things that may not even be 743 00:38:36,875 --> 00:38:40,333 bad but are not best to take your time and life energy 744 00:38:40,417 --> 00:38:44,042 from the people and things that really are most valuable, 745 00:38:44,125 --> 00:38:48,208 that if right now you were told you have 48 hours to live, 746 00:38:48,292 --> 00:38:50,417 what would come off of your schedule? 747 00:38:50,500 --> 00:38:52,833 What would go out of your life? 748 00:38:52,875 --> 00:38:59,583 What would be absolutely erased from your to-do list? 749 00:39:01,333 --> 00:39:06,625 If the Lord wills, you'll live into your 80s, 750 00:39:06,667 --> 00:39:09,167 but you don't know. 751 00:39:12,833 --> 00:39:19,417 Pastor James says it's arrogance to have a sense of entitlement 752 00:39:19,500 --> 00:39:26,083 and presumption, that the plan that we have is the plan 753 00:39:26,167 --> 00:39:28,833 that God has. 754 00:39:28,875 --> 00:39:31,917 We don't know. 755 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:36,750 See, we make our plans and we seek to make our plans his plans 756 00:39:36,833 --> 00:39:39,917 for our life. 757 00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:43,417 Life is uncertain. 758 00:39:43,500 --> 00:39:46,333 Life is brief. 759 00:39:46,417 --> 00:39:52,458 And as a result, Pastor James tells us in chapter 4, verse 17, 760 00:39:52,500 --> 00:39:56,333 life should be urgent. 761 00:39:56,417 --> 00:40:01,500 Life should be urgent, that unimportant things 762 00:40:01,583 --> 00:40:05,250 should not crowd out important things. 763 00:40:05,333 --> 00:40:10,333 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, 764 00:40:10,417 --> 00:40:13,333 Pastor James says, for him, it is. 765 00:40:13,417 --> 00:40:14,958 Here's what he's saying: 766 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:19,250 You don't know how much time you have. 767 00:40:19,333 --> 00:40:21,125 You can't control the future. 768 00:40:21,167 --> 00:40:23,042 Now, you can influence it. 769 00:40:23,125 --> 00:40:27,750 If you eat better, maybe you'll live longer. 770 00:40:27,833 --> 00:40:30,333 But you can't control the future. 771 00:40:30,417 --> 00:40:34,000 What you can control are the decisions you make 772 00:40:34,083 --> 00:40:38,625 starting right now. 773 00:40:38,667 --> 00:40:41,958 And what he's saying is, if you know you're supposed to be 774 00:40:42,000 --> 00:40:44,958 doing something and you're not doing that, that's sin. 775 00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:47,667 And if you know you're not supposed to be doing something 776 00:40:47,708 --> 00:40:49,833 and you're doing that, that's sin. 777 00:40:49,917 --> 00:40:51,250 Some sins are clear. 778 00:40:51,333 --> 00:40:52,667 They're for everybody. 779 00:40:52,708 --> 00:40:54,042 No stealing. No adultery. 780 00:40:54,125 --> 00:40:56,333 No murder. 781 00:40:56,417 --> 00:41:00,375 Other sins are specific things that God has told you. 782 00:41:00,458 --> 00:41:03,500 Not everybody needs to do this, but you do. 783 00:41:03,583 --> 00:41:07,917 And if you don't, then you're in sin. 784 00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:10,917 So there needs to be a sense of urgency. 785 00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:14,333 Since I know what I'm supposed to do and I don't know how long 786 00:41:14,375 --> 00:41:18,708 I have, I should be making that a priority and that needs to be 787 00:41:18,792 --> 00:41:20,833 an urgent activity. 788 00:41:20,875 --> 00:41:25,875 Then the question becomes, how do you know what is priority 789 00:41:25,958 --> 00:41:28,375 and what should have a sense of urgency? 790 00:41:28,458 --> 00:41:31,500 They make this really practical because there's nothing worse 791 00:41:31,542 --> 00:41:36,250 than a theoretical life lesson. 792 00:41:36,333 --> 00:41:38,833 Number one, we start with Scripture. 793 00:41:38,917 --> 00:41:41,000 The Bible is very clear, don't do these things, 794 00:41:41,083 --> 00:41:43,208 and here's some other things you need to do. 795 00:41:43,292 --> 00:41:44,625 It's really clear. 796 00:41:44,667 --> 00:41:47,333 So we start with the clarity of God's Word, 797 00:41:47,417 --> 00:41:49,417 and if God's Word says to do something 798 00:41:49,500 --> 00:41:50,833 and you're not doing it, 799 00:41:50,875 --> 00:41:53,542 it says to not do something else and you're doing that, 800 00:41:53,625 --> 00:41:56,042 then for you it's sin and you've got to make 801 00:41:56,125 --> 00:41:58,167 some serious life changes. 802 00:41:58,208 --> 00:42:00,833 And this happens so easy, friends. 803 00:42:00,875 --> 00:42:05,667 People's pressure, expectation, demands, our disorganization, 804 00:42:05,750 --> 00:42:10,000 our lack of prioritization-- it leads to, all of a sudden, 805 00:42:10,083 --> 00:42:14,917 God's voice is distant and quiet and the voice of everyone 806 00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:19,000 and everything else is near and loud. 807 00:42:19,042 --> 00:42:21,333 We open the Scripture, say, "God, talk to me. 808 00:42:21,375 --> 00:42:24,333 Help me know what you want me to do and not do." 809 00:42:24,375 --> 00:42:26,000 And for me, this sets my priorities. 810 00:42:26,083 --> 00:42:28,292 My first priority as a Christian-- 811 00:42:28,333 --> 00:42:31,208 walking with Jesus by his grace, becoming more like him. 812 00:42:31,292 --> 00:42:34,833 My second priority is to love my wife. 813 00:42:34,875 --> 00:42:37,625 Right, I've asked the Lord, "Let me be like Ed. 814 00:42:37,667 --> 00:42:39,417 "Let me walk her home. 815 00:42:39,500 --> 00:42:41,417 "Let me preach her funeral. 816 00:42:41,500 --> 00:42:46,250 Let me tend to and care for Grace all the days of her life." 817 00:42:46,333 --> 00:42:49,042 And I pray that God gives us many. 818 00:42:49,125 --> 00:42:51,333 My third priority is our children. 819 00:42:51,375 --> 00:42:53,167 There is no back-up plan. 820 00:42:53,208 --> 00:42:56,333 If I'm not a good father, if I'm not present, 821 00:42:56,375 --> 00:42:58,042 they don't have another dad. 822 00:42:58,125 --> 00:43:01,625 They've got one, and he needs to do his job by God's grace. 823 00:43:01,667 --> 00:43:04,833 My fourth priority is to be your pastor and to teach the Bible 824 00:43:04,875 --> 00:43:07,875 and to love and serve the people of Mars Hill Church. 825 00:43:07,958 --> 00:43:10,875 And what I found over the years and perhaps you found this 826 00:43:10,958 --> 00:43:14,208 as well, is a lot of the things that get in the way 827 00:43:14,292 --> 00:43:16,500 are not bad things. 828 00:43:16,583 --> 00:43:21,000 They're good things, but they're not the best things. 829 00:43:21,083 --> 00:43:25,500 Oftentimes the choice is not between good and evil 830 00:43:25,583 --> 00:43:31,125 but good and best. 831 00:43:31,167 --> 00:43:35,333 And you've only got so much time. 832 00:43:35,417 --> 00:43:38,417 You've only got so much life energy, 833 00:43:38,500 --> 00:43:42,042 and we don't know how much time we will have 834 00:43:42,125 --> 00:43:44,750 or how much energy we will have. 835 00:43:44,833 --> 00:43:47,000 And we can't be arrogant and presumptuous and say, 836 00:43:47,083 --> 00:43:49,750 "As soon as I take care of all of these things, 837 00:43:49,833 --> 00:43:52,750 then I'll get to the things that the Lord has for me," 838 00:43:52,833 --> 00:43:54,750 because he says, if the Lord wills, 839 00:43:54,833 --> 00:43:57,458 you might wake up tomorrow. 840 00:43:57,500 --> 00:44:00,083 You might. 841 00:44:00,167 --> 00:44:03,375 If you do wake up tomorrow, you might be healthy tomorrow. 842 00:44:03,458 --> 00:44:09,417 You might be and you might not. 843 00:44:09,500 --> 00:44:10,917 We go to Scripture. 844 00:44:11,000 --> 00:44:13,708 We go to godly counsel. 845 00:44:13,792 --> 00:44:17,208 Proverbs talks a lot about seeking godly counsel. 846 00:44:17,292 --> 00:44:20,833 Don't just make a plan for your life and then find people 847 00:44:20,875 --> 00:44:24,333 who agree with you and declare them to be wise counsel. 848 00:44:24,375 --> 00:44:27,333 Lots of people do that. 849 00:44:27,375 --> 00:44:30,667 "They agree with me." 850 00:44:30,750 --> 00:44:33,083 Start with wise counsel, 851 00:44:33,167 --> 00:44:35,833 godly people that you will invite into your life 852 00:44:35,875 --> 00:44:39,208 and entrust to your decision-making. 853 00:44:39,292 --> 00:44:42,208 This could be godly parents, pastoral, ministry leadership, 854 00:44:42,292 --> 00:44:45,250 people in your Community Group, people that you know that love 855 00:44:45,333 --> 00:44:48,000 the Lord and they've got expertise in areas of life that 856 00:44:48,083 --> 00:44:51,208 you need to grow in and so you pursue them and ask questions 857 00:44:51,292 --> 00:44:54,125 and take notes and seek counsel. 858 00:44:54,167 --> 00:44:57,458 And the Bible is very clear that the fool is the one 859 00:44:57,500 --> 00:44:59,667 who's always right in their own eyes, 860 00:44:59,708 --> 00:45:01,917 and the one who is wise is the one 861 00:45:02,000 --> 00:45:06,833 who doesn't trust themselves entirely because sin causes 862 00:45:06,875 --> 00:45:10,625 blindness, the Bible says, and we all have some sin 863 00:45:10,667 --> 00:45:14,583 which means in certain areas, we're all blind. 864 00:45:14,667 --> 00:45:19,083 And what looks clear to you looks clearly wrong to another, 865 00:45:19,167 --> 00:45:24,000 and we invite them to help us to see what we don't see. 866 00:45:24,083 --> 00:45:25,667 It comes from Scripture, godly counsel. 867 00:45:25,750 --> 00:45:28,167 It comes from the conscience that God has given us, 868 00:45:28,250 --> 00:45:30,500 God has placed within us as his image bearers. 869 00:45:30,583 --> 00:45:33,917 A conscience, we just, "That doesn't feel right to me." 870 00:45:34,000 --> 00:45:36,125 I'm not saying it's a sin for everybody, 871 00:45:36,167 --> 00:45:39,500 but it's not something I'm OK with. 872 00:45:39,583 --> 00:45:41,750 Need to abide by your conscience. 873 00:45:41,833 --> 00:45:45,042 And fourthly, the Holy Spirit. 874 00:45:45,125 --> 00:45:48,125 The Holy Spirit is God come to take up residence in you 875 00:45:48,167 --> 00:45:51,458 to inform and empower your life as he did Jesus. 876 00:45:51,500 --> 00:45:54,042 And Paul declares that the Holy Spirit 877 00:45:54,125 --> 00:45:56,250 is the Spirit of wisdom. 878 00:45:56,333 --> 00:45:58,833 What we're talking about here is wisdom and folly. 879 00:45:58,875 --> 00:46:03,125 We're talking about a life that is to God's glory versus life 880 00:46:03,167 --> 00:46:07,833 that is to your misery. 881 00:46:07,875 --> 00:46:11,167 And the Holy Spirit will lead you and guide you 882 00:46:11,250 --> 00:46:13,833 into truth and wisdom. 883 00:46:13,875 --> 00:46:16,292 And so we avail ourselves to these and other resources 884 00:46:16,333 --> 00:46:20,167 that God gives so that we can have some sense of clarity. 885 00:46:20,250 --> 00:46:22,167 "God, what am I here to do?" 886 00:46:22,250 --> 00:46:24,417 To answer that question that Pastor James asked, 887 00:46:24,500 --> 00:46:27,833 "What is my life? 888 00:46:27,875 --> 00:46:34,125 "What am I to do with my breath and my days and my dollars? 889 00:46:34,167 --> 00:46:37,208 What am I to do, Lord?" 890 00:46:37,292 --> 00:46:43,833 And then plan accordingly, openhanded, if the Lord wills. 891 00:46:43,875 --> 00:46:48,125 And I'd like to close with Jesus. 892 00:46:48,167 --> 00:46:52,833 James saw all of this played out in the life of Jesus. 893 00:46:52,917 --> 00:46:54,750 So here's Jesus: 894 00:46:54,833 --> 00:46:56,708 God becomes a man, lives his life. 895 00:46:56,792 --> 00:47:02,917 Here's James front-row seat as the little brother of Jesus. 896 00:47:03,000 --> 00:47:07,500 He gets to see what no one else gets to see. 897 00:47:07,542 --> 00:47:10,708 There are years of Jesus' life that are not written down 898 00:47:10,792 --> 00:47:12,167 or recorded. 899 00:47:12,250 --> 00:47:16,667 No one knows what happened, but James does because he was there. 900 00:47:16,750 --> 00:47:20,375 He saw Jesus make decisions. 901 00:47:20,458 --> 00:47:23,208 And here's what's amazing you'll read in the Bible: 902 00:47:23,292 --> 00:47:24,875 Jesus healed people. 903 00:47:24,958 --> 00:47:28,000 But hear, hear me on this: he didn't heal everybody. 904 00:47:28,042 --> 00:47:30,000 He healed these people, but not these people. 905 00:47:30,042 --> 00:47:31,375 Why? 906 00:47:31,458 --> 00:47:33,375 Why did he pick them and not them? 907 00:47:33,458 --> 00:47:37,167 He saw Jesus, up until he was about 30, 908 00:47:37,208 --> 00:47:40,125 work a job with their dad as a carpenter swinging a hammer. 909 00:47:40,167 --> 00:47:41,500 Well, why 30 years? 910 00:47:41,583 --> 00:47:42,917 Why not 35? 911 00:47:43,000 --> 00:47:44,917 Why carpentry? Why not something else? 912 00:47:45,000 --> 00:47:46,833 Why? 913 00:47:46,875 --> 00:47:50,750 He was there to see Jesus was friends with these people, 914 00:47:50,833 --> 00:47:54,833 and he wasn't friends with these people. 915 00:47:54,875 --> 00:47:56,667 Jesus invited these people into his life, 916 00:47:56,708 --> 00:47:59,333 and he didn't invite these people into his life. 917 00:47:59,417 --> 00:48:01,625 He opened his ear to counsel from these people, 918 00:48:01,667 --> 00:48:04,625 but he closed his ear to counsel from these people. 919 00:48:04,667 --> 00:48:06,625 James saw all of this. 920 00:48:06,667 --> 00:48:09,125 He cast demons out of these people, not those people. 921 00:48:09,167 --> 00:48:10,875 He healed these people, not those people. 922 00:48:10,958 --> 00:48:12,625 He fed these people, not those people. 923 00:48:12,667 --> 00:48:14,000 Why? Why? 924 00:48:14,083 --> 00:48:15,417 Why? 925 00:48:15,500 --> 00:48:16,833 How does this work? 926 00:48:16,875 --> 00:48:18,333 How did Jesus make his decisions? 927 00:48:18,375 --> 00:48:20,500 How did he know, "I'm supposed to do this, 928 00:48:20,583 --> 00:48:22,917 I'm not supposed to do that"? 929 00:48:23,000 --> 00:48:26,292 And James was there, front-row seat to the life 930 00:48:26,333 --> 00:48:33,208 of his big brother/creator, and he watched it all. 931 00:48:33,292 --> 00:48:40,167 And here's what Jesus has to say about his life: 932 00:48:40,208 --> 00:48:43,542 John 5:36, Jesus says this, 933 00:48:43,625 --> 00:48:46,750 "The works that the Father has given me to accomplish, 934 00:48:46,833 --> 00:48:51,625 the very works that I am doing." 935 00:48:51,667 --> 00:48:55,333 This is a mind-blowing statement. 936 00:48:55,417 --> 00:48:58,958 If you were to walk up to Jesus when he was on the earth 937 00:48:59,000 --> 00:49:04,792 2,000 years ago roughly, "Why do you do this and not that?" 938 00:49:04,833 --> 00:49:09,375 Because can we all agree, Jesus had a lot of options? 939 00:49:09,458 --> 00:49:11,833 Could go into business, could go into politics, 940 00:49:11,875 --> 00:49:14,417 could go into ministry, could get married, could be single, 941 00:49:14,500 --> 00:49:17,583 could go live in this town, could go live in this country. 942 00:49:17,667 --> 00:49:19,708 A lot of options. 943 00:49:19,792 --> 00:49:23,917 And he didn't pursue them all. 944 00:49:24,000 --> 00:49:27,583 He prayerfully, carefully selected a few things, 945 00:49:27,667 --> 00:49:29,833 and that's all he did. 946 00:49:29,875 --> 00:49:33,625 And if you were to walk up to Jesus if you were to ask him, 947 00:49:33,667 --> 00:49:36,250 "How do you know what to do?" 948 00:49:36,333 --> 00:49:43,250 He would say, "God the Father told me to do some things 949 00:49:43,333 --> 00:49:46,333 "and that's all I'm doing. 950 00:49:46,375 --> 00:49:50,708 "I'm not doing any less, and I'm not doing any more. 951 00:49:50,792 --> 00:49:55,167 "Since I hear his voice, I'm not controlled and dominated by 952 00:49:55,208 --> 00:49:59,042 the other voices telling me what to do." 953 00:49:59,125 --> 00:50:03,833 OK, now hear me in this: you and I need to be very careful. 954 00:50:03,917 --> 00:50:08,167 I'll let ya in on a little secret: you're not Jesus. 955 00:50:08,208 --> 00:50:11,625 A little secret: he was perfect, 956 00:50:11,667 --> 00:50:16,333 you are not perfect. 957 00:50:16,417 --> 00:50:20,333 So we need to be very careful to say, "The Lord told me." 958 00:50:20,417 --> 00:50:26,042 We need to be humble and say, "If the Lord wills." 959 00:50:26,125 --> 00:50:33,042 But Jesus had a clear sense of exactly what he was to be doing, 960 00:50:33,125 --> 00:50:35,667 and that's what he devoted his time and energy to. 961 00:50:35,708 --> 00:50:38,208 Now, God became a man, his name is Jesus Christ, 962 00:50:38,292 --> 00:50:43,208 but he welcomed upon himself certain limitations for a season 963 00:50:43,292 --> 00:50:44,667 to identify with us. 964 00:50:44,708 --> 00:50:46,333 So Jesus couldn't be everywhere. 965 00:50:46,417 --> 00:50:48,833 He could only be in one place at one time. 966 00:50:48,875 --> 00:50:52,833 Jesus, though he wasn't as eternal, 967 00:50:52,875 --> 00:50:55,333 he had 24 hours a day/7 days a week 968 00:50:55,417 --> 00:50:57,833 just like you and me. 969 00:50:57,875 --> 00:51:02,875 Though God is all-powerful, during his life on the earth, 970 00:51:02,958 --> 00:51:05,667 Jesus had limited life energy. That's why the Bible says he 971 00:51:05,750 --> 00:51:08,333 often withdrew to lonely places to be alone with the Father. 972 00:51:08,375 --> 00:51:09,708 He took a day off. 973 00:51:09,792 --> 00:51:11,125 He took silence and solitude. 974 00:51:11,167 --> 00:51:13,917 The Bible even says that Jesus took a nap. 975 00:51:14,000 --> 00:51:18,000 And that nap was as worshipful as casting out a demon 976 00:51:18,042 --> 00:51:21,833 or feeding a child because those were the works that the Father 977 00:51:21,875 --> 00:51:27,333 had given him to do and some of the works was not working. 978 00:51:27,375 --> 00:51:29,583 It's not like Jesus was glorifying the Father while 979 00:51:29,667 --> 00:51:31,792 he was preaching and teaching and healing and feeding 980 00:51:31,833 --> 00:51:34,167 and not glorifying the Father while he's doing carpentry, 981 00:51:34,250 --> 00:51:37,750 taking a day off and napping. 982 00:51:37,833 --> 00:51:40,542 All of those things were the things that the Father 983 00:51:40,625 --> 00:51:45,667 had given him to do and he did them perfectly. 984 00:51:45,708 --> 00:51:47,833 He did them submissively. 985 00:51:47,917 --> 00:51:50,458 He did them joyfully. 986 00:51:50,500 --> 00:51:54,542 See, the reason that you and I, we get burned out, 987 00:51:54,625 --> 00:51:56,667 every extended and exhausted is we're doing things 988 00:51:56,708 --> 00:51:58,667 that the Father didn't tell us to do, 989 00:51:58,708 --> 00:52:00,417 and we're not doing some things that 990 00:52:00,500 --> 00:52:04,000 the Father told us to do like take a nap, take a day off. 991 00:52:04,083 --> 00:52:09,125 We can give the impression that we're busier than Jesus, 992 00:52:09,167 --> 00:52:13,625 that we're more essential than Jesus. 993 00:52:13,667 --> 00:52:15,917 He knew exactly what he was to be doing, 994 00:52:16,000 --> 00:52:17,792 and that's all that he was doing, 995 00:52:17,833 --> 00:52:19,292 and he didn't do anything else, 996 00:52:19,333 --> 00:52:24,417 and he didn't do anything less. 997 00:52:24,500 --> 00:52:27,833 And so he lives without any sin. 998 00:52:27,875 --> 00:52:30,917 And then he goes to the cross and he substitutes himself, 999 00:52:31,000 --> 00:52:35,417 and he dies in our place for our sins. 1000 00:52:35,500 --> 00:52:37,417 See, that day he could have been traveling. 1001 00:52:37,500 --> 00:52:38,958 He wasn't supposed to be traveling. 1002 00:52:39,000 --> 00:52:40,333 He could have been arguing. 1003 00:52:40,417 --> 00:52:41,833 He wasn't supposed to be arguing. 1004 00:52:41,917 --> 00:52:43,625 He could have been teaching a class. 1005 00:52:43,667 --> 00:52:45,625 He wasn't supposed to be teaching a class. 1006 00:52:45,667 --> 00:52:48,625 He was supposed to be atoning for the sin of the world. 1007 00:52:48,667 --> 00:52:50,750 That's what he was supposed to do that day. 1008 00:52:50,833 --> 00:52:52,250 And then he's on the cross. 1009 00:52:52,333 --> 00:52:53,958 Do you remember Jesus' final words? 1010 00:52:54,000 --> 00:52:56,125 "It is finished." 1011 00:52:56,167 --> 00:53:01,417 He did everything that he was supposed to do, 1012 00:53:01,500 --> 00:53:06,708 and he did it in about 33 years. 1013 00:53:06,792 --> 00:53:08,875 And he's the most important, influential, 1014 00:53:08,958 --> 00:53:14,375 impactful person in the history of the world because he knew 1015 00:53:14,458 --> 00:53:18,333 what he was supposed to be doing and that's all that he did. 1016 00:53:18,375 --> 00:53:24,625 And most of his life--90% of it--was spent not in ministry, 1017 00:53:24,667 --> 00:53:27,875 growing up as a kid, obeying his parents, swinging a hammer, 1018 00:53:27,958 --> 00:53:29,667 working with his dad. 1019 00:53:29,750 --> 00:53:33,208 Don't think that he was more glorifying to the Father 1020 00:53:33,292 --> 00:53:36,417 doing ministry than he was doing carpentry. 1021 00:53:36,500 --> 00:53:41,750 Both, both were glorifying to the Father and both 1022 00:53:41,833 --> 00:53:43,958 were the things that he was commissioned to do. 1023 00:53:44,000 --> 00:53:47,042 When you get up tomorrow and you go to work and you're sitting 1024 00:53:47,125 --> 00:53:49,750 in your cubicle, don't think, "Someday I will serve the Lord." 1025 00:53:49,833 --> 00:53:54,250 Say, "No, starting today, I will serve the Lord in the cubicle." 1026 00:53:54,333 --> 00:53:59,625 Jesus didn't start worshiping when he stopped hammering. 1027 00:53:59,667 --> 00:54:02,417 He was worshiping through hammering, 1028 00:54:02,500 --> 00:54:04,625 and then he was worshiping through preaching, 1029 00:54:04,667 --> 00:54:07,000 and it was always worshiping, and it was taking 1030 00:54:07,083 --> 00:54:09,125 what the Father had given him to do 1031 00:54:09,167 --> 00:54:13,208 and just doing that well by the grace that God gives. 1032 00:54:13,292 --> 00:54:16,125 Same is true for you and me. 1033 00:54:16,167 --> 00:54:19,500 I want to make this really practical. 1034 00:54:19,542 --> 00:54:21,000 There's Jesus' life. 1035 00:54:21,042 --> 00:54:24,500 Let me extract a few principles from Jesus' life for your life. 1036 00:54:24,542 --> 00:54:26,208 I want you to think about these. 1037 00:54:26,292 --> 00:54:27,708 I want you to consider these. 1038 00:54:27,792 --> 00:54:30,125 If you're married, I want you to discuss these. 1039 00:54:30,167 --> 00:54:33,167 If you're in a Community Group, I want you to share these. 1040 00:54:33,250 --> 00:54:34,917 If you're not in a Community Group, 1041 00:54:35,000 --> 00:54:36,667 this is where we do life together. 1042 00:54:36,708 --> 00:54:40,667 This is where we seek wise counsel. 1043 00:54:40,708 --> 00:54:44,542 Number one, what is the size of your plate? 1044 00:54:44,625 --> 00:54:48,458 I told you, Jesus only had so much time, so much energy, 1045 00:54:48,500 --> 00:54:51,542 could handle so many relationships, so much stress, 1046 00:54:51,625 --> 00:54:53,333 be in so many places. 1047 00:54:53,417 --> 00:54:57,208 There's limitations, and you and I have greater limitations 1048 00:54:57,292 --> 00:54:58,833 than he. 1049 00:54:58,917 --> 00:55:00,917 When I'm talking about your plate size, 1050 00:55:01,000 --> 00:55:02,500 I'm talking about your life capacity. 1051 00:55:02,583 --> 00:55:07,000 Some of you, your plate is a salad plate. 1052 00:55:07,083 --> 00:55:09,375 It's not that big. 1053 00:55:09,458 --> 00:55:12,708 You can't handle a lot. 1054 00:55:12,792 --> 00:55:14,500 Some of you, it's a dinner plate. 1055 00:55:14,583 --> 00:55:16,625 You can handle quite a bit. 1056 00:55:16,667 --> 00:55:18,375 Some of you it's a platter. 1057 00:55:18,458 --> 00:55:21,583 You can handle a lot. 1058 00:55:21,667 --> 00:55:24,500 No matter what, we're all finite. 1059 00:55:24,583 --> 00:55:28,208 We all have limitations. 1060 00:55:28,292 --> 00:55:30,833 There's only so much that you can do. 1061 00:55:30,875 --> 00:55:33,292 You need to know the size of your plate. 1062 00:55:33,333 --> 00:55:35,458 You need to accept the size of your plate. 1063 00:55:35,500 --> 00:55:38,125 If you're a dinner plate and you're married to a platter, 1064 00:55:38,167 --> 00:55:40,458 you need to give grace to one another. 1065 00:55:40,500 --> 00:55:42,667 "Why can't you do more?" 1066 00:55:42,708 --> 00:55:44,750 "Why do you have to do so much?" 1067 00:55:44,833 --> 00:55:47,250 You need to give a little grace to one another, 1068 00:55:47,333 --> 00:55:48,667 amen? 1069 00:55:48,708 --> 00:55:53,208 How many of you notice you married the opposite? 1070 00:55:53,292 --> 00:55:58,333 Two platters burn out if they don't give grace to one another. 1071 00:55:58,417 --> 00:56:01,500 Many of you are going to be married to someone who is 1072 00:56:01,583 --> 00:56:02,917 very different than you. 1073 00:56:03,000 --> 00:56:05,625 Some of you are married to someone who's just like you. 1074 00:56:05,667 --> 00:56:07,625 It's knowing who God made you to be, 1075 00:56:07,667 --> 00:56:10,292 who God made them to be in addition to your kids 1076 00:56:10,333 --> 00:56:12,625 and the capacity that God has entrusted to them, 1077 00:56:12,667 --> 00:56:14,917 and giving grace to one another. 1078 00:56:15,000 --> 00:56:16,917 Do you know the size of your plate? 1079 00:56:17,000 --> 00:56:19,917 Even in your friendships, do you know the size of their plate? 1080 00:56:20,000 --> 00:56:23,125 Do you realize that some people can't get as much done as other 1081 00:56:23,167 --> 00:56:25,125 people, and that doesn't mean that they're ungodly 1082 00:56:25,167 --> 00:56:28,125 or less spiritual or less valuable. 1083 00:56:28,167 --> 00:56:31,000 Number two, what should be taken off your plate 1084 00:56:31,042 --> 00:56:33,583 or what should you take off your plate? 1085 00:56:33,667 --> 00:56:37,125 What we tend to do, many of us, we tend to just keep putting 1086 00:56:37,167 --> 00:56:38,750 stuff on our plate. 1087 00:56:38,833 --> 00:56:40,167 "Yes, I'll do this. 1088 00:56:40,208 --> 00:56:41,542 And yes, I'll do that." 1089 00:56:41,625 --> 00:56:43,542 And then somebody comes along and they're like, 1090 00:56:43,625 --> 00:56:46,250 "I don't want to deal with this, you deal with it." 1091 00:56:46,333 --> 00:56:48,417 And then they start throwing everything on your plate. 1092 00:56:48,500 --> 00:56:49,917 And if you're the responsible one 1093 00:56:50,000 --> 00:56:51,667 or you have fear-of-man issues 1094 00:56:51,708 --> 00:56:54,167 or you're worried about if other people will like you 1095 00:56:54,208 --> 00:56:56,667 or respect you or reject you or maybe hurt you, 1096 00:56:56,708 --> 00:56:59,333 then all of a sudden, "OK, throw it on my plate." 1097 00:56:59,375 --> 00:57:01,875 Then your plate's stacked up, and you're burdened under it, 1098 00:57:01,958 --> 00:57:03,625 and things start falling off your plate, 1099 00:57:03,667 --> 00:57:05,333 and then you're frantic and you're depressed, 1100 00:57:05,375 --> 00:57:08,083 and you're anxious because you can't keep up with your life. 1101 00:57:08,167 --> 00:57:10,708 So you have got to take some stuff off your plate. 1102 00:57:10,792 --> 00:57:12,500 Jesus did carpentry for about 30 years 1103 00:57:12,542 --> 00:57:14,000 and then he stopped doing carpentry. 1104 00:57:14,083 --> 00:57:16,708 Say, "Well, was that wrong for him to do carpentry?" 1105 00:57:16,792 --> 00:57:19,292 No, he was supposed to do carpentry for a while 1106 00:57:19,333 --> 00:57:21,125 and then not anymore. 1107 00:57:21,167 --> 00:57:22,500 Sometimes your kids are little. 1108 00:57:22,583 --> 00:57:23,917 It's a season of life. 1109 00:57:24,000 --> 00:57:25,917 You're gonna work this job for a while 1110 00:57:26,000 --> 00:57:27,625 then work that job for a while. 1111 00:57:27,667 --> 00:57:29,000 Whatever the case may be. 1112 00:57:29,083 --> 00:57:31,708 Maybe there were things that you had time and energy for, 1113 00:57:31,792 --> 00:57:35,750 and now you don't and they have to come off your plate. 1114 00:57:35,833 --> 00:57:37,208 I'm jealous for your life. 1115 00:57:37,292 --> 00:57:39,958 I'm your pastor; I love you. 1116 00:57:40,000 --> 00:57:43,208 I want to give you permission to take some stuff off your plate 1117 00:57:43,292 --> 00:57:44,917 wisely, carefully, prudently. 1118 00:57:45,000 --> 00:57:49,458 Don't just go home and, you know, Cc everybody, you know? 1119 00:57:49,500 --> 00:57:54,833 "I'm buying a hammock and good luck with everything," right? 1120 00:57:54,917 --> 00:57:58,042 There's wisdom in even how to get out of some obligations 1121 00:57:58,125 --> 00:58:01,792 and responsibilities, but you have a right to take 1122 00:58:01,833 --> 00:58:04,375 some things off your plate. 1123 00:58:04,458 --> 00:58:08,208 And then thirdly, what should you put on your plate? 1124 00:58:08,292 --> 00:58:11,125 "I've been neglecting that for a long time. 1125 00:58:11,167 --> 00:58:13,000 "That relationship, I've not invested in. 1126 00:58:13,042 --> 00:58:15,708 "I've not had time for church or Bible reading or prayer 1127 00:58:15,792 --> 00:58:17,125 "or Community Group, serving. 1128 00:58:17,167 --> 00:58:19,833 "I've not opened my--I keep telling myself, man, 1129 00:58:19,875 --> 00:58:23,000 "as soon as I get through this, then I'll have time for that. 1130 00:58:23,083 --> 00:58:28,125 "But it never comes, so I need to start with my priorities 1131 00:58:28,167 --> 00:58:30,708 "and God's priorities for me. 1132 00:58:30,792 --> 00:58:34,000 "And I need to put the most important things in my life, 1133 00:58:34,083 --> 00:58:38,333 "in my energy, in my budget, in my schedule first, 1134 00:58:38,417 --> 00:58:42,333 "the people and things that matter the most. 1135 00:58:42,417 --> 00:58:45,625 "And then entrust God to help me discern what else I can handle 1136 00:58:45,667 --> 00:58:49,417 and what I can't." 1137 00:58:55,000 --> 00:58:59,625 What is your life? 1138 00:59:01,792 --> 00:59:07,500 What is your life? 1139 00:59:07,542 --> 00:59:11,625 Friends, it's a mist. 1140 00:59:11,667 --> 00:59:14,333 It's here today and it's gone tomorrow. 1141 00:59:14,375 --> 00:59:17,625 And here's the good news, we're alive. 1142 00:59:17,667 --> 00:59:22,417 We have an opportunity to examine the life 1143 00:59:22,500 --> 00:59:24,625 that God has entrusted to us, 1144 00:59:24,667 --> 00:59:27,833 to make some course corrections and changes 1145 00:59:27,875 --> 00:59:32,417 so that we don't live in such a way that the last day is 1146 00:59:32,500 --> 00:59:37,542 a regrettable, remorseful day, but it's a rejoicing day. 1147 00:59:37,625 --> 00:59:40,458 That's what I want for you. 1148 00:59:40,500 --> 00:59:43,750 I don't want you to be discouraged but encouraged. 1149 00:59:43,833 --> 00:59:46,958 I don't want you to just regret the things you haven't done, 1150 00:59:47,000 --> 00:59:51,000 but I want you to celebrate the things that are yet to be done. 1151 00:59:51,083 --> 00:59:54,667 And to prepare for that, we're gonna respond. 1152 00:59:54,708 --> 00:59:57,125 So don't--and I know immediately some of you are like, 1153 00:59:57,167 --> 00:59:59,458 "Can I check my phone? Can I leave now?" 1154 00:59:59,500 --> 01:00:00,833 No. 1155 01:00:00,917 --> 01:00:03,958 Take some time as we collect our tithes and offerings to let 1156 01:00:04,000 --> 01:00:07,833 the Holy Spirit bring into your understanding 1157 01:00:07,917 --> 01:00:11,000 the specific things that you need to be prayerfully, 1158 01:00:11,083 --> 01:00:14,458 carefully considering, the changes you need to be making, 1159 01:00:14,500 --> 01:00:17,208 the wisdom you need to be seeking. 1160 01:00:17,292 --> 01:00:21,917 We're then going to partake of Communion, which is remembering 1161 01:00:22,000 --> 01:00:27,542 that Jesus did it all, that he lived without sin, 1162 01:00:27,625 --> 01:00:29,000 the life we've not lived, 1163 01:00:29,083 --> 01:00:32,000 that he died for our sin, the death we should have died, 1164 01:00:32,083 --> 01:00:34,500 that he rose to give the gift we cannot earn, 1165 01:00:34,583 --> 01:00:38,458 that ultimately, the Lord Jesus knew exactly what he was to do, 1166 01:00:38,500 --> 01:00:42,167 and he absolutely did exactly what he was sent to do. 1167 01:00:42,208 --> 01:00:45,500 And in Communion, we remember that he did that for us. 1168 01:00:45,583 --> 01:00:49,167 And he helps us, and he loves us, and he sends the Spirit 1169 01:00:49,208 --> 01:00:52,458 to enable us to follow in his example. 1170 01:00:52,500 --> 01:00:54,833 And then we're going to sing and celebrate. 1171 01:00:54,917 --> 01:00:58,042 We're going to take some time to remember Jesus, 1172 01:00:58,125 --> 01:01:02,000 to reflect on Jesus, to rejoice in Jesus, right, 1173 01:01:02,042 --> 01:01:04,917 to consider that there is life above the sun, 1174 01:01:05,000 --> 01:01:07,083 that there is life after the grave, 1175 01:01:07,167 --> 01:01:08,833 and that the Lord Jesus, 1176 01:01:08,875 --> 01:01:11,083 right now he's still doing exactly what the Father 1177 01:01:11,167 --> 01:01:12,500 has asked him to do. 1178 01:01:12,583 --> 01:01:14,000 He's hearing our prayers. 1179 01:01:14,083 --> 01:01:15,417 He's forgiving our sin. 1180 01:01:15,500 --> 01:01:16,917 He's helping. He's seeking. 1181 01:01:17,000 --> 01:01:18,583 He's serving. He's saving. 1182 01:01:18,667 --> 01:01:22,000 It's not that Jesus' work came to an end with his ascension 1183 01:01:22,083 --> 01:01:25,000 back into heaven, but he's still working and part of his work 1184 01:01:25,042 --> 01:01:27,000 right now is, he wants to love you. 1185 01:01:27,042 --> 01:01:28,375 He wants to forgive you. 1186 01:01:28,458 --> 01:01:29,875 He wants to speak to you. 1187 01:01:29,958 --> 01:01:31,292 He wants to encourage you. 1188 01:01:31,333 --> 01:01:34,000 He wants to help you. 1189 01:01:34,083 --> 01:01:36,000 And so we meet with him in song. 1190 01:01:36,083 --> 01:01:38,208 Lord Jesus, thank you for the opportunity to teach 1191 01:01:38,292 --> 01:01:40,125 the Bible at Mars Hill Church. 1192 01:01:40,167 --> 01:01:43,208 Lord Jesus, my life is filled with a lot of wonderful things, 1193 01:01:43,292 --> 01:01:46,833 but I thank you that teaching the Bible is something 1194 01:01:46,917 --> 01:01:48,542 that I enjoy every week. 1195 01:01:48,625 --> 01:01:50,500 And I thank you, Lord, that the Scriptures, 1196 01:01:50,583 --> 01:01:53,958 particularly this week, it's not just for the people. 1197 01:01:54,000 --> 01:01:55,833 It's also for the pastor. 1198 01:01:55,917 --> 01:01:59,833 It's really helpful and clarifying and hope giving 1199 01:01:59,917 --> 01:02:05,167 and future igniting, Lord God. 1200 01:02:05,250 --> 01:02:07,708 There are people that are going to hear this. 1201 01:02:07,792 --> 01:02:13,417 I pray that very quickly, you would turn their regrets 1202 01:02:13,500 --> 01:02:18,292 to rejoicing, that perhaps what was is sad, 1203 01:02:18,333 --> 01:02:21,500 but it doesn't have to be what is. 1204 01:02:21,583 --> 01:02:26,833 And Lord, I thank you so much that because of the Scriptures 1205 01:02:26,875 --> 01:02:28,417 we know where we come from. 1206 01:02:28,500 --> 01:02:30,292 We come from God. 1207 01:02:30,333 --> 01:02:31,917 We know where we're going. 1208 01:02:32,000 --> 01:02:34,125 We're going to stand face to face with God. 1209 01:02:34,167 --> 01:02:35,667 And we know why we're here. 1210 01:02:35,708 --> 01:02:37,333 We're here to learn about God. 1211 01:02:37,375 --> 01:02:39,042 We're here to become more like God. 1212 01:02:39,125 --> 01:02:40,833 We're here to be saved by God. 1213 01:02:40,875 --> 01:02:43,333 We're here to point others to God. 1214 01:02:43,417 --> 01:02:45,833 And Lord Jesus, thank you for being our God. 1215 01:02:45,917 --> 01:02:47,250 Amen. 1216 01:02:48,833 --> 01:02:50,208 Pastor Sutton here, 1217 01:02:50,292 --> 01:02:53,250 we've just finished our services here in the Bellevue church 1218 01:02:53,333 --> 01:02:59,083 and really excited today to tell the extended family of Mars Hill Global 1219 01:02:59,167 --> 01:03:00,833 about Text to Give. 1220 01:03:00,875 --> 01:03:03,542 Just came out and many of you know my story: 1221 01:03:03,625 --> 01:03:07,708 2007 heard Pastor Mark at a pastor's conference 1222 01:03:07,792 --> 01:03:10,000 went there, started podcasting. 1223 01:03:10,083 --> 01:03:12,958 I still gave my tithe to my local church, 1224 01:03:13,000 --> 01:03:16,333 however, gave a contribution amount to Mars Hill Church. 1225 01:03:16,417 --> 01:03:21,000 So this Text to Give, the video that we have produced for you, 1226 01:03:21,083 --> 01:03:23,250 you're going to love, so check this out. 1227 01:03:25,417 --> 01:03:28,125 Hey Mars Hill, my name is Rene and I work here 1228 01:03:28,167 --> 01:03:30,667 at the Media and Communications team at Mars Hill Church. 1229 01:03:30,708 --> 01:03:32,417 If you're a mobile user like me, 1230 01:03:32,500 --> 01:03:34,583 I've got some exciting news to share with you. 1231 01:03:34,667 --> 01:03:37,042 There's a new way to give at Mars Hill Church 1232 01:03:37,125 --> 01:03:39,333 and it's just as easy as sending a text. 1233 01:03:39,375 --> 01:03:42,083 Now, many of you take advantage of our online giving options, 1234 01:03:42,167 --> 01:03:44,833 which is a great way to set up recurring gifts, 1235 01:03:44,875 --> 01:03:48,042 but until now, we haven't had a way to set up mobile, 1236 01:03:48,125 --> 01:03:50,958 where you can give on the spot during our services. 1237 01:03:51,000 --> 01:03:53,000 If you're like me, you don't carry cash 1238 01:03:53,042 --> 01:03:56,583 you don't carry a checkbook, so Text to Give is the way to go. 1239 01:03:56,667 --> 01:04:01,083 It's fun, it's simple, and best of all, it's secure. 1240 01:04:01,167 --> 01:04:03,042 I want you to do something with me. 1241 01:04:03,125 --> 01:04:05,000 Take out your smart phone right now; 1242 01:04:05,042 --> 01:04:06,833 we're going to do something together. 1243 01:04:06,875 --> 01:04:08,750 Don't worry, you're not obligated to give, 1244 01:04:08,833 --> 01:04:10,750 but try this out. 1245 01:04:10,833 --> 01:04:13,625 Simply send the amount you want to give 1246 01:04:13,667 --> 01:04:19,667 and the word "Mars Hill" at the end to the following number: 45777. 1247 01:04:20,833 --> 01:04:22,500 The first time you give via text, 1248 01:04:22,583 --> 01:04:25,167 you will be asked to fill out a one-time form, 1249 01:04:25,250 --> 01:04:28,292 which will safely link your card to your smart phone. 1250 01:04:28,333 --> 01:04:31,708 Now, this new way of giving doesn't go into your phone bill, 1251 01:04:31,792 --> 01:04:33,625 and in case you make a mistake, 1252 01:04:33,667 --> 01:04:37,333 you can always get a refund for the gift that you've given. 1253 01:04:37,417 --> 01:04:39,375 And that's it; you're done. 1254 01:04:39,458 --> 01:04:41,542 You'll receive a text back confirming your gift 1255 01:04:41,625 --> 01:04:44,083 and from this moment forward, you'll be able to give 1256 01:04:44,167 --> 01:04:46,833 anywhere, anytime with just a single text. 1257 01:04:46,875 --> 01:04:49,583 Don't forget to save the number in your contact list. 1258 01:04:49,667 --> 01:04:52,708 I've saved it as "Mars Hill Text to Give." 1259 01:04:52,792 --> 01:04:54,583 For more information about our giving options 1260 01:04:54,667 --> 01:04:57,833 you can visit marshill.com/give. 1261 01:04:59,542 --> 01:05:02,542 Each year, over 10 million Mars Hill church sermons 1262 01:05:02,625 --> 01:05:05,667 are downloaded worldwide for free. 1263 01:05:05,708 --> 01:05:08,250 This ministry is generously supported 1264 01:05:08,333 --> 01:05:10,875 by Mars Hill church members and listeners like you. 1265 01:05:10,958 --> 01:05:14,458 If you'd like to support our efforts to preach Jesus to the world, 1266 01:05:14,500 --> 01:05:17,458 Please consider making a tax-deductible donation 1267 01:05:17,500 --> 01:05:20,333 by visiting marshill.com/give.